50 Shades: The Engagement
by LizLemonnumber2
Summary: This fills in the blanks between Darker and Freed and hopefully gives more details about the wedding and the preparation. Rated M to be safe.
1. A Lost Cause

**A/N – I am filling in the gaps between Darker and Freed and focusing on the wedding preparations and all those little details she brought up that we never got any info about. I hope you enjoy!**

**50 Shades: The Engagement **

**Chapter 1 – A lost cause **

I look wearily out into the mob of paparazzi outside my window. After Mia showed us the gossip column yesterday about the engagement, we knew this would happen. I am just not sure if I am ready to deal with the mob of photographers and the crazy that comes with them.

"We can just go home" Christian whispers from my side as he kisses my hand.

I turn to him, "No I can do this. I can't run away"

He smiles a sympathetic smile, "When you give the word, Sawyer will open the door for you. Once he closes it, my advice is to hold on to his arm and he will push you both through the crowd"

I am too nervous to inappropriately joke about being instructed to hold on to Sawyer. "Thanks Capitan." He smiles and leans over to kiss me. I take in a deep breath and finally turn to the door. "Alright Sawyer, let's do this"

"Sawyer goes with you everywhere today, you understand?" he says firmly as Sawyer moves around to my door. The photographers are going nuts in response to this new activity.

"Yes, Dear" I say as I give him an indulgent grin.

Sawyer opens the door and I quickly jump out. Like Christian told me, I hold on tightly to Sawyer's arm as he pushes me through the crowd of paparazzi.

These people are relentless. I am hearing everything shouted at me from "Let me see the ring" to "How long is the prenup?" Mention of the prenup and the rude paparazzi sets me in a foul mood as Sawyer eventually leads me to reception.

"Ana!" Claire shrieks from her seat, "Congratulations, Can I see your ring?"

I turn to her eventually as I catch my breath and find my equilibrium, "Maybe later Claire".

She offers me her own sympathetic smile, "Of course".

I smile back and make my way to my office. A mix of "congratulations", "dang girl, he is fine", and "when's the wedding?" bombards me as I eventually make it to my office. I shut the door firmly behind me and take a seat. I take a breath and enjoy the silence after that parade of craziness. My email immediately 'Bings' and I know who it's from.

**To: Anastasia Steele**

**From: -Christian Grey**

**Subject: A reminder**

**My lovely Fiancée, **

**Due to the excitement from this weekend, I forgot to mention that you have two more weeks before the news of my takeover hits SIP.**

**Attached to this email are the dates of our honeymoon. **

**Also, I love you. **

**Please delete this email immediately but save the attachment. **

**Laters baby, **

**Christian **

**Christian Grey, CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, INC. **

Yes, I forgot about this. At the Grey's yesterday, along with our very awkward and embarrassing prenup talk, we set a wedding date. Now that the date of the wedding has been set, Christian has been busily working on plans for the honeymoon. He won't give anything away, but he did promise to send me the official dates of our honeymoon so I can take them to HR myself. With SIP close to transition, and our engagement announcement thrown into the mix, I want to make sure I keep a standard of professionalism with my colleagues. When Christian's takeover finally goes through, I want to maintain their respect and not have them think I am getting treated any differently. This may be a lost cause, but I am going to try. At the end of the day, if they want to hate me for marrying the boss I at least want their hatred to be unfounded. I print off Christian's email attachment as Elizabeth conveniently knocks on my door.

"Ana!" she says with a smile, "Congratulations!"

"Thanks Elizabeth" I respond, still not 100% sure how to react to her. She is an awkward person.

She smiles, "And Roach asked me to pass along that he needs to speak with you."

I instantly get nervous. _What does he want?_ "Great thank you" I say, "Before I see Roach, I need to discuss something with you."

She humors me as she shuts the door and takes a seat.

"As you know, I am getting married. And I already have my wedding and honeymoon dates for you early so I can be sure to get the time off."

"Perfect" she says as I hand her the paper with the dates on them. Instantly she frowns, "Three weeks?"

"Yes, will that be a problem?" I ask nervously. I told Christian yesterday that three weeks would be too long. Of course, I am going to get the time off regardless of what Elizabeth says. _Crap, this really may be a lost cause._

"I am just not sure if Roach will be ok with this." She says nervously as she packs the paper away, "Maybe bring it up with him when you see him?"

I cover up my worry with a smile, "Sure thing". She smiles and departs from my office. I quickly type Christian a response before I head up to Roach's office.

**To: Christian Grey**

**From: Anastasia Steele**

**Subject: More than just a pretty face**

**C**

**Email is deleted and I am about to head over to talk to Roach. Thank you for sending the attachment**

**Can we just go to Vegas tomorrow? All of this insanity is causing me to feel more like a hurricane then an actual person**

**Love you**

**A**

I won't mention any of this to him until I get the final word from Roach. I make my way over to his office as soon as I hit send.

"Come in Ana, take a seat" Roach says solemnly as I make my way to an open chair. He turns his swivel chair to face me and I can tell he is stressed. _Oh boy, play this gentle Steele._

"Hey Jerry, Elizabeth said you needed to see me" I ask nervously as I sit across from him.

"Yes, I wanted to congratulate you on your engagement" he says sounding like he is obligated to congratulate me, "And I wanted to remind you that news of your fiancé's new position will be announced in two weeks so please keep this away from our colleagues."

"Of course, I have already been informed of this" I say trying to sound professional.

He shakes his head, "I also wanted to inform you that your 'acting' status has been removed, and you are now an official editor. Elizabeth should be bringing you resumes for your new assistant either today or tomorrow"

I recoil and try to stay professional, "Thank you. I am very excited for the opportunity to continue to show you what I can bring to this position."

"Good" he says impassively.

I sigh in defeat. "One more thing Jerry, Elizabeth asked me to mention to you that I plan on taking three weeks off for my honeymoon and I _really want _to make sure that is ok with you," I say emphasizing the last sentence.

He looks at me genuinely surprised for what seems like forever. Then a smile quirks on his face and I feel instantly relieved. "This is new to you, isn't it Ana?"

_What?_ "Um, I am not 100% sure of what you mean".

He shakes his head and smiles, "Never mind. You'll get your time off. Is that all?"

I nod my head and walk toward the door. I really feel like I need to get a last thought in. "I am ready to show everyone at SIP that I can be a fantastic editor. I want to prove that this isn't a mistake. I plan to continue my professionalism at work despite outside influences."

He looks at me suspiciously then smiles again, "Good to know. Thank you Ana"

I walk out of his office and down the hall to mine when I hear a ding from my Blackberry.

**To: Anastasia Steele**

**From: Christian Grey**

**Subject: Hurricane Ana**

**My Hurricane Ana,**

**Let me know baby and I can fire up the plane to Vegas when you are ready. **

**But in the meantime, we are meeting with Reverend Walsh tonight, Kate's mother is stopping by Wednesday night, and then my mother and Mia will be with us every night this week (and probably until the day of) going over other wedding plans. **

**Stay strong. In a month I'll have the power to get rid of all of these people**

**Christian**

**Christian Grey, CEO, Grey Enterprises Holding, INC.**

I sigh, feeling much better about today. Suddenly my phone 'bings' again.

**To: Anastasia Steele **

**From: Elizabeth Morgan**

**Subject: All good to go**

**I am surprised and pleased to let you know that Jerry just informed me that you have been approved for your time off for your honeymoon. **

**This means we must get an assistant in place immediately. I will bring you resumes either today or tomorrow. Get ready to make some important decisions to who you want in place while you are gone. **

**Elizabeth Morgan, HR, SIP**

More decisions, just what someone planning a wedding needs more of on her plate. I sigh as I get back to my office and place my head on my desk. I can make it through this month, right?


	2. A Writing Exercise

**A/N – Thank you for all the sweet responses already! Yes, I plan to put in everything you have asked for and more! One such topic is already coming up! I hope you like my interpretation! Thanks and I don't own FSOG!**

**Chapter 2 – A writing exercise**

After my hectic day, I am glad to climb back into the Audi SUV and next to Christian.

"Hey Baby," he says, eyes glowing with love, "Crazy day?" He grabs my hand and kisses it gently. My disheveled appearance obviously gives me away.

"You could say that" I say with a smile, "I am just glad to be back in this car with you"

He smiles, "Likewise.". We sit in silence for a little longer as Taylor drives us home. The silence is relaxing, cathartic even. "Reverend Walsh is coming over before dinner. He wants to go over the ceremony and talk about our vows and such".

"Good" I say with a smile as we finally pull up to Escala. Getting out of the car I notice how short my skirt is. When we finally get to the apartment, I quickly run into our bedroom to change. I don't have much experience with Reverends, but something about shortness of my skirt bothers me.

I come back out of the bedroom and Christian is smirking at me. "Your skirt isn't that short", he says with a grin.

"We are already living together, I don't want your family minister thinking I am a complete hussy" I say as he chuckles some more, trying to hide his amusement and failing. He's obviously making fun of me in his head.

Revered Walsh arrives soon after I change and we begin discussing the ceremony. We decide to keep it simple when it comes to the ceremony itself. I don't like those weddings that tell story after story, like they have to prove that the couple is in love before you leave. It's obnoxious. Besides, we don't have very many stories that are acceptable to tell a group of our closest family and friends anyway.

"Now let's talk about the vows," he says handing us a sheet of paper, "Typed on this paper are several versions of traditional wedding vows". I skim through the vows and I already feel I can write my own much better.

"Don't some couples write their own vows?" I throw out to Reverend Walsh and turn to gauge Christian's reaction.

Christian stares impassively down at the paper as the Reverend answers my question. "Yes Ana, they do. That is also a suitable option" he says, also trying to read Christian's impassive face, "How about I leave this list with you two and you can discuss this. We have time before the wedding so please talk about it and then let me know what you both decide. If that is everything, I really must be going"

"Thank you Reverend Walsh, We will let you know what we decide. Thank you for the help" I say as all three of us stand, "You are welcome to stay for dinner if you'd like"

"No I can't, but thank you Ana." We exchange final goodbyes and Taylor escorts him out.

"Gail", Christian shouts to the air. She walks out of Taylor's office and smiles, "We are ready for dinner now".

"Of course Mr. Grey. 10 minutes?" she asks as she begins walking toward the kitchen.

"Very good" he says as I follow her to find the wine. As I pour two glasses, I turn to Christian.

"So what do you think about writing our vows? I really want to try it if you are up for it" I smile sweetly as I hand him a glass of wine.

"I don't know," he says pulling out the paper Reverend Walsh gave us, "I like some of these"

"They are just so impersonal, we will both sound like robots," I say as an idea comes to mind, "What if tonight we write vows for each other. Just to get the ideas flowing, we did an activity like this for a writing class I had in college. It really helps"

He looks at me suspiciously as he takes a sip of his wine, "Alright. We can try that".

Dinner is fantastic and I eat through it quickly. The more I think about writing Christian's vows, the more excited I am getting about it. This causes me to eat faster and in a larger capacity then I typically do. I look over at Christian and I can tell he is pleased that I am eating so heartily.

Once we are done I kiss him on the corner of his lips, "I am going to get writing. We'll email each other once we are both done. Let's send them at the same time"

He smiles but I can tell he still isn't sure about this. "Deal". I get to the library and get started. I laugh at the first draft that I push out in a matter of minutes:

_I promise to take you to the Red Room of Pain for mind blowing kinky fuckery at least four times a week. I promise to use the riding crop and the flogger and I will make you come like a train. I may take you in there more if you keep giving me that mind blowing oral. I love you and now let's go fuck on my parent's staircase. _

No way would this ever be acceptable. I snicker some more and I decide to save this version of his vows for my own amusement. I finally get focused and within ten minutes I have really great vows for Christian. I really tried to write these the way he would have written them. Suddenly I get a call on my Blackberry and "Your love is king" blares throughout the library.

"I am ready when you are" he says when I pick up.

"I am putting my last finishing touches on yours, after 2 minutes go ahead and send yours". We hang up and I put his vows in an email.

**To: Christian Grey**

**From: Anastasia Steele**

**Subject: Vows**

**I promise to love you faithfully, forsaking all others, through the good times and the bad, in sickness and in health, regardless of where life takes us. I will protect you, trust you, and respect you. I will share your joys and sorrows and comfort you in times of need. I promise to cherish you and uphold your hopes and dreams and keep you safe at my side. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love for this moment on for as long as we both shall live. **

**Let me know what you think. It was fun writing from your shoes**

**Love you**

**Ana**

I smile with satisfaction at what I have sent him. I hope when he reads this, it gives him the spark he needs to write his vows the way he wants to. I don't know why he was so hesitant about writing our wedding vows, he is good a writer. He is good at everything. My email dings and I am excited to see what he has for me.

**To: Anastasia Steele **

**From: Christian Grey**

**Subject: Vows**

**As always, you never disappoint. That is fantastic. I think I want to add on to it, but I am still thinking about what exactly I'd like to add. **

**Here are yours:**

**I will love you unconditionally and stand at your side through good times and bad, being your faithful partner always. I promise to respect you, obey you, bring you solace in times of need, and support you in all things. I promise to love and cherish you for as long as we both shall live.**

**Christian**

That's it? These seem like he just copied and pasted them from Reverend Walsh's list of wedding vows. Why doesn't he think he can't do anything better than this? I have emails about dinner plans from him that have more meaning than these wedding vows. Before I can register what I am doing, I am up and walking to his study. I get to his door and he frowns when he sees me. He is obviously reading the disappointment on my face.

"Is something wrong?" he asks.

"Yeah Christian, I think you can do better with these vows" I answer, trying to think of something more tactful to say, "We have a history of beautifully written emails to each other and I don't know, I think you are selling your capabilities short."

He looks at me annoyed, "Then what would you suggest?" He is mad, but I keep going. I pull up the email on my Blackberry and look through it again.

"I don't know, maybe you can add something more personal. And take out some of this redundancy"

"Redundancy?" he asks, his annoyance replaced with confusion.

"Respect and obey are practically the same ideas" I say throwing that out to him.

"Not really. I think they are both important on their own merits"

He seems very adamant about this, too adamant. I stare at him, hoping he is not getting at what I think he is getting at. "I'm not promising both, and I'd prefer respect over obey"

His buildup of annoyance and anger boils over and is evident in his eyes. "You can change whatever the fuck you want. Those are your vows. But you are keeping obey"

Seriously? Is he really doing this? _Demanding_ that I obey him?

"No" I say emphatically.

"Is this how it's going to be?"

"I was about to ask you the same question," I interrupt him, "If I remember correctly I am not your submissive but your fiancée. We are not turning our vows into the submissive contract that you never were able to get"

_Oh I pissed him off now_. "You are not my submissive Anastasia; I thought I proved this to you over and over. But as your husband, I would hope that you respected me enough to obey me"

"That is why I will promise to respect you. With forcing me to keep 'obey' in here, it feels like you have decided to rule out every opinion I could ever have about anything like you are my Dominant. I am sorry but if this is going to work, we cannot have that kind of relationship. I won't let it happen." Before I let him respond, I stomp off and run into our bedroom. I don't think about anything, I just move. If I think much harder, I may explode.

I grab clothes for work tomorrow and walk upstairs to the spare bedroom. I am too mad to sleep with him tonight. Even if I wanted to, I can't let him think that this is acceptable behavior. It is important that I do this. I need to set a precedent for our relationship. I refuse to be treated like one of the 15. I am supposed to be more important than the 15, or so he says. I change quickly and curl up in the cold, rarely used spare bed.


	3. Hurricane Ana

**A/N – Thank you all for your sweet comments and suggestions! Don't worry about me missing anything, I have a list going of points I need to hit so I hope to make sure I write about ****every detail**** you want to know about! Thanks again and keep them coming! I don't own FSOG!**

**Chapter 3 – Hurricane Ana**

**I wake suddenly and realize it is morning already.** I turn to the alarm clock and it reads 7:30 AM. I slowly get up and get ready, trying to put off going downstairs.

8:15 AM rolls around and I decide it's time to face the music. I need to see how foul of a mood Christian is really in. When I make it to the kitchen I am greeted by Mrs. Jones who is dutifully making breakfast.

"Good morning Ana" she says, "What would you like for breakfast this morning".

My stomach groans in protest, "Toast I guess Mrs. Jones. Do you know if Christian is up?"

"Yes ma'am," she says, "Mr. Grey and Mr. Taylor are already gone." Of course he is already gone. If he is reacting like this, then it must be really bad. I solemnly eat my toast and the fruit Mrs. Jones has snuck on the side of my plate.

Rain pounds on the window of the Audi SUV as Sawyer drives me to work. I don't want another day of work like yesterday, especially after last night. Thank goodness the paparazzi aren't waiting for me this morning. I don't need something else to set me off.

As I make it to my office, I am instantly greeted with a phone call.

"Ana Steele," I bark into the phone.

"Woah, Ana it's just me" Mia replies back defensively.

"Sorry Mia" I say changing my mood to accommodate my sweet future sister-in-law, "It's just been a bad morning. What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping you had enough time today for a lunch date? I need you to pick invitations for the wedding. We need to send those right away, the wedding is only three weeks away," my little wedding planner warns. Christian is paying her for her wedding planning duties since she is currently unemployed. I couldn't be more thankful, I really don't know what I'd do without her or Grace.

"My schedule looks wide open for lunch. I don't have a guest list yet, I still need to talk to my mom" I say remembering that I need to talk to my mom about who she wants to invite.

"Sound good – 12:45?" she asks.

"Perfect Mia, thanks" I say even more stressed. I really have too much to do. What I wouldn't give to already have an assistant hired.

I hear her smirk over the phone, "Don't stress. That's my job". We say goodbye and my Blackberry dings.

**To: Anastasia Steele**

**From: Christian Grey**

**Subject: Shopping Trip**

**Anastasia, **

**Due to the events of last night, I forgot to let you know that I scheduled a shopping trip with Caroline Acton at Neiman Marcus this evening for the honeymoon. She already has a packing list, and you will get what you like based off the specifications on her list. **

**Christian**

**Christian Grey, CEO, Grey Enterprise Holdings, INC. **

Is he serious? After our argument last night, he still expects me to go on a shopping trip without even consulting with me if that's how I wanted to spend my evening? What if I had plans with Kate? What if I wanted to take Kate shopping with me? I really don't want to go shopping with Kate, but again I should be given the opportunity to have a choice in the matter. I am not in the mood for this shit.

**To: Christian Grey**

**From: Anastasia Steele**

**Subject: Yes sir. **

**Mr. Grey, **

**Yes sir. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to go shopping for clothes to please sir on his honeymoon. I will wait for further instruction on the rest of my plans for this evening. **

**Ms. Steele**

**Anastasia Steele, Editor, SIP**

I regret sending such a smart ass email as soon as I hit send, but I am not to be fucked with today. Instantly my work phone rings and I jump. I pick it up quickly.

"Anastasia Ste-"

"I am really not in the mood for your shit today," Christian snarls on the other end, "If you don't want to go then fine don't go, but I scheduled it thinking that tonight is your only free night and thought you could get it over and done with".

I can feel the anger seething through both of us on the phone. We are both really pissed and I don't think either of us knows how to properly deal with these emotions.

After a moment, I finally concede, "Fine I'll obey. I would just appreciate more of a warning".

He takes in a deep breath, trying to control his anger, "And I moved your lunch meeting with Mia to your office. I know you are on a defiant streak today, but my blood pressure and I would really appreciate it if you didn't fight me on this"

"Fine," I say impassively. Security has been extra rigid since the Charlie Tango incident so I understand that.

"Goodbye Anastasia, I'll see you tonight"

"Goodbye"

**After work, Sawyer escorts me to the Audi and immediately drives me to Neiman Marcus. **I lay down across the back seat, trying to absorb a few minutes of peace. Fighting with Christian is draining and soul sucking. Work was long and obnoxious. We are down to three assistant candidates and they are coming in tomorrow for their final interviews. We arrive to the back of the department store and Sawyer escorts me inside. We are greeted by Ryan who meets us on the second level.

"Ryan and I will follow you throughout the store as you shop. Mr. Grey thought it would be necessary considering this is a public place" Sawyer explains as we get on the escalator. I nod impassively.

We meet Caroline Acton on the main floor. I am pleased to finally meet the mystery woman who has been buying me clothes throughout my entire relationship with Christian. She is surprisingly short with a brown bob and big green eyes. She looks an awful lot like a Power puff girl. She wastes no time, and I can tell immediately she knows her stuff. We go to swim wear first and I try on too many bathing suits. She picks several final choices and I am pleased with all of our picks.

We move on to evening dresses. They all seem way too extravagant but Caroline is adamant that we buy several. Then we move on to every day clothing and shoes. We pick out 17 new dress, new shorts, new crops, new tops, and 40 new pairs of new shoes. It is amazing how much money we have spent in a short amount of time. As we move to the next level, I realize our last stop is lingerie. Ryan and Sawyer discretely stay on the shoe level to give us some space.

We are immediately greeted by a mannequin with a pink blush satin corset with garter straps, matching lacy briefs and white silk stockings. I stare it down as Caroline awkwardly stands behind me. I picture myself wearing this and I smile. I smile even bigger as I picture Christian's face when he sees me in this. My mood magically gets better. The power I could behold while wearing this brings me a strange sense of joy. I never knew lingerie could ever give me this satisfaction. Is this what Kate means when she talks about "retail therapy"?

"Do you like it?" Caroline finally asks, "Depending on your wedding dress, this could be perfect to wear under it".

My eyes lighten and happiness Ms. Acton hasn't seen this entire shopping adventure spreads across my face.

"Come," I say with a smirk, "We have Mr. Grey's money to spend".


	4. The Great Christian Grey Sulkfest 2011

**A/N – I took a section of this out of Freed so please know that I do not own FSOG and all right belong to EL James. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**

**Chapter 4 – The Great Christian Grey Sulkfest of 2011 **

**The great Christian Grey Sulkfest of 2011 continues on. **Last night when I came back from my shopping trip, Christian stayed locked up in his study. When I went in to try to talk him, I was quickly dismissed. This morning he went into the office early again, leaving me to Mrs. Jones and Sawyer. Now I am finally home and waiting for Mrs. Kavanagh to arrive, and he is still at the office. Damn, my man sure knows how to sulk.

I don't know how I feel about any of this right now. Stress is coming from every which way and my brain is foggy. I understand that there are aspects of life where I will need to concede to his plans, but is it too much to ask of him for this to be a two way street? Don't I get a say in anything? I thought this was why he loved our relationship, I don't do everything he says when he says it. I thought this was refreshing for him? I thought he liked my smart mouth? It just reminds me that we still have our work cut out for us.

I am excited for the distraction of Mrs. Kavanagh coming over this evening to work with me on my wedding dress. Since the wedding is less than three weeks away, she can't make a dress from scratch in that short amount of time. Her strategy is to have me try on prototypes of different styles. Once we have the style, she will work off that dress to get me exactly what I want.

Mrs. Kavanagh enters our apartment and gapes at how beautiful everything is. "Wow Ana, your man sure has a nice place"

"He sure does" I say as we embrace. Birdie Kavanagh is essentially an older version of Kate. She is short, feisty, blonde, and very tan. She has two members of her team follow her in with several garment bags.

"You ready for this?" she says with a smirk. Sawyer offers Taylor's office as a changing room and Birdie has me stand in the middle of the great room to be inspected by the team. I immediately get fitted into an A-Line gown and I love it. It fits me perfectly and I feel comfortable.

Birdie asses me thoroughly, "I may have the perfect dress for you that is also an A-Line gown." She pulls out another garment bag and has me try it on. I change and walk back into the great room.

"What do you think?" she asks me with wide eyes.

"The lace is choking me" I complain as I pick at the lace on the dress. The lace goes all the way to my neck and acts as a choker.

"We can fix that, no problem" she says with a smile, "But besides the choking lace, do you like it?"

She quickly picks my hair up and twists it around so it sits beautifully on top of my head. This gives me a full visual of what I might look like on my wedding day. The dress fits me perfectly and it actually proves that I do have curves.

"Maybe if we got rid of some of this lace, I might like it off the shoulder" I say assessing myself. Really, what do I know about any of this? I do know that I do look good, even for me.

"That would be beautiful" Birdie smiles, "Lace is tough but I can handle it." I smirk at how "Kavanagh" that statement is. "Don't worry about your shoes, I have those covered. We'll also talk about other accessories once the dress is ready" she says walking over to the rest of her garment bags, "Since we figured out what you want in a very short amount of time, let's try on some other gowns for fun"

I roll my eyes, "Mrs. Kavanagh, this really isn't my thing". Her team shakes their heads in disapproval of my words as Birdie ignores me to pull out another gown.

"Go try this on. I forgot about veils so I can play around with those while you try on other gowns" she insists.

"Don't you guys have anything better to do?"

"Nope" they all three say at once.

"I swear," I say as I move over to her, "You and Kate are the exact same person." She smiles mischievously as I go change. The dress she hands me is a floor length ball gown and I look like Cinderella. I walk out and her team gasps at my appearance.

"That bad?" I ask as I step around to face the mirror.

"Will you stop this and just enjoy" Mrs. Kavanagh admonishes as she puts my hair up in a veil, "You have looked beautiful in everything I have put you in"

I sigh, "I'm sorry. I hate trying on clothes and on top of that I am just really stressed and Christian and I are fighting right now".

"Oh honey," she says as she finishes with my veil, "What are you two fighting about?"

"Our vows" I say with an annoyed sigh, "He doesn't like that I won't put that I will 'obey' him in my vows". I am surprised that I am telling her so much, but talking to Birdie is like talking to my mother. It's relaxing.

"Mr. Kavanagh fought with me over the same issue" she says trying to reassure me.

"How did you deal with it?" I ask

"Honey, obedience doesn't keep him warm at night. Compromise does" she says with a gleam in her eye. I can't help but smile at Birdie's profound observation.

"I hope you are right," I say as she smiles sympathetically and takes a picture on her IPhone, "This stays between us? I know Christian and Mr. Kavanagh are in business together."

She smiles, "Absolutely"

Suddenly Sawyer runs into the great room. "Mr. Taylor and Mr. Grey are home. I wanted to give you an opportunity to move the fitting so Mr. Grey doesn't see".

"Don't worry, Send them in," Birdie beckons, "We are just trying on dresses for fun now. And I really want to meet Christian". She smiles a mischievous smile as I hear the elevator ding. I hear Christian and Taylor talking about something as they make their way toward us. They both stop when they see me. "Come on in" Mrs. Kavanagh says to the boys. She repeats what she told Sawyer as Christian and I lock eyes.

I cannot properly explain the way Christian is looking at me right now. It is a look of regret, love, burning passion, and longing all stretched across his beautiful face. I don't breathe as he continues to look at me like I am his reason for living. I melt inside and all I want to do his run across the room and rip off his clothes. Birdie literally smacks me out of our moment and turns to me with expectant eyes.

"Sorry Mrs. Kavanagh. Christian, this is Ethan and Kate's mother, Birdie Kavanagh" I say forgetting my manners.

"Hello" he says, still not taking his eyes off of me. Birdie and her team are snickering as she re-iterates that this is not my real dress for the ceremony.

"You look lovely Ms. Steele," Taylor says tactfully as he walks across the room in route to Christian's study.

"Thank you Taylor," I say as I continue to stare at Christian.

"Baby, you look beautiful," Christian says, finally putting a sentence together.

"Thank you," I respond in almost a whisper.

Taylor coughs and knocks Christian out of his trance. "Mr. Grey, we still have some work to do this evening".

"Right of course," Christian says gathering his wits, "If you will excuse me". He follows Taylor into his study and shuts the door.

Birdie smiles, "Consider that argument over".

"What do you mean?"

She laughs, "That man just looked at you like he had been trapped in the Sahara desert for months and you were the water that he finally found. It won't be long till he folds"

**Birdie and her team finally leave the apartment around 10 o'clock. **Christian still hasn't left his study and it looks like we are going to have a repeat of last night. _Maybe Birdie was wrong._ He is so infuriating, why won't he talk to me?

I decide that I don't want to sleep upstairs again tonight and sleeping in our room would be counterproductive to my cause, so I decide to sleep on one of the couches in the great room. I throw on one of my silk wraps and curl up with a pillow on the couch.

I wake up with a start and I realize I am way too warm. There is a blanket spread over me, how did that get there? Then I hear it, a mangled cry coming from our bedroom. _Holy shit_, is that Christian?

I run into our bedroom and he is tossing back and forth and crying like he is in pain.

"Christian! Christian!" I scream as I grab onto him. He still isn't waking up so I repeat myself, I hold on to his shoulders and shake him the best I can, "Baby wake up! Christian! Christian! I'm here, I'm here". His eyes bolt open, grey eyes vacant and terrified. He looks so scared and vulnerable, and his pain tugs at my heart. Tears prick at my eyes as I hold onto his arms.

"Ana" he whispers, "You're here"

"Of course I'm here" I say as I feel his breathing slow down

"I had a dream…"

"I know. I'm here. I'm here." I say trying to calm him down some more.

"Ana"

"Hush, I'm here" I say as I curl around him, feeling his skin against mine. Relief fills my body. This is the touch I have missed since Monday.

"Please let's not fight" he says, his voice still hoarse from the screaming. We cocoon around each other some more as we both fall back onto the bed.

"Okay" I say. I'd do anything for him right now.

"The vows. No obeying. I can do that. We'll find a way."

"Yes, we will" I say trying to reassure him, "We'll always find a way."

We kiss and passion spreads through my veins. The words "we'll always find a way" burns through my brain as he slides his hands down my body and removes my silk wrap.


	5. The Aftermath of War

**Authors Note – Some chunks of this chapter where taken from FSOG: Freed's text. All rights go to EL James. Thanks for reading and the nice comments! I hope you enjoy this next chapter! **

**Also – I try my best with grammar and spelling but typically, I miss things every now and then so forgive me if you see a mess up. Also, there is a character in this chapter named Khloe and I know there is supposed to be a mark on the E but I couldn't figure out how to do that on Word so I left it as is. I don't need a tutorial, I just wanted to make sure I let people who are nitpicky know what was up. **

**Chapter 5 – The aftermath of War**

**"I hate when we fight" Christian says as he kisses my temple. **I am wrapped around his bare chest, and I am almost to the point of drifting back to sleep.

"I do too. Our fighting is comparable to a major world war" I say sleepily as I lay a kiss on his neck.

He snickers, "Hmm, I think I have finally met my match". I smile as he kisses my hair. We continue to lay in the silence as I try to go back to sleep. One thought parades my mind and doesn't allow me to rest completely.

"What was your dream about this time?" I ask nervously. I feel him tense under me. He doesn't say anything for several minutes so I move my head so I can see his face. He looks as tense as he feels and I immediately regret asking him.

"I can't" he whispers, seeming frazzled by my question, "I just can't Ana. Just promise me that you will let me keep you safe, just promise. Please. I just need you safe"

His panic and anxiety is spreads across his face like the plague. He looks so vulnerable, scared, and extremely distraught. My heart breaks, my poor lost boy. "Yes, of course" I say trying to calm him down.

He shakes his head and I feel the tension go away. I curl up around him and nuzzle into his chest. I feel myself drift off as I hear Christian softly say, "Sleep baby".

** Thursday morning is proving to be much better than the last three days. **After several rounds of impeccable shower sex, we both dress and partake in our usual morning routine. Even work doesn't seem as bad as I sit at my desk and check through my rapidly expanding email and letter inbox. The first email I see is from Christian.

**To: Anastasia Steele**

**From: Christian Grey**

**Subject: Writing assignments**

**As usual Ms. Steele, you know how to make a morning extra special. During our own version of World War 2, I got some writing done. I want to turn in my late assignment and get your input.**

**My vows to you (I added on to what you wrote for me, because it was quite good – you should go into publishing): **

**I solemnly vow that I will safeguard and hold dear and deep in my heart our union and you. I promise to love you faithfully, forsaking all others, through the good times and the bad, in sickness and health, regardless of where life takes us. I will protect you, trust you, and respect you. I will share your joys and sorrows and comfort you in times of need. I promise to cherish you and uphold your hopes and dreams and keep you safe at my side. All that is mine is now yours. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love from this moment on for as long as we both shall live. **

**Now here is the assignment I was supposed to do. Your vows to me:**

**I give you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and health, to stand by your side in good times and in bad, to share your joy as well as your sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals and dreams, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, to share my hopes and dreams with you, and bring you solace in times of needs. And to cherish you for as long as we both shall live. **

**I hope I get in "A", Ms. Steele**

**Christian**

**Christian Grey, CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, INC. **

Tears are falling rapidly down my face. These vows are perfect. Can't he see what he's capable of when he just listens to me?

**To: Christian Grey**

**From: Anastasia Steele**

**Subject: You get your "A" Mr. Grey and maybe some "T" as well**

**Wow, I am sufficiently impressed. You are quite the accomplished writer. See what you can do when you trust me? :-) **

**We are keeping both of these for the wedding. I don't think they could get better if we tried. Now I have a million things I must go do, I am marrying a CEO in a little more than 2 weeks so I am quite busy. **

**Thank you**

**Ana**

**Anastasia Steele, Editor, SIP**

Right on cue Khloe Kang, an editor that has been at SIP for almost ten years, enters my office. She is helping Elizabeth and me with interviews for my new assistant. I am thankful for her help, she is our most experienced editor and I have learned a lot from her already. She is also very fun to be around and makes for a nice buffer against awkward Elizabeth.

"Come on Steele," she groans teasingly, "I move faster than you and I am 5 months pregnant". I laugh.

"Sorry Khlo, just emailing my fiancé" I say as I grab my things for the interviews.

"Oh God, your fiancé is super-hot. If my husband looked like that, I would never leave my house" she teases as I laugh again.

We meet Elizabeth in the conference room and she brings in the first interview. The first girl we interview reminds me a lot of myself. She is laid back and is very intelligent. She seems very capable and I think we'd get a long swimmingly. At the end of the interview, Elizabeth escorts the first girl to reception.

"I think I like her" I say turning to Khloe.

"Eh" Khloe says not impressed, "We'll pick her if we don't like this next girl". Elizabeth returns with a blonde haired, green eyed girl named Hannah.

As the interview begins, I realize that Hannah is the kind of person who finds joy in being extremely organized. She is bubbly, earnest, and she gives me a headache. She even volunteers to help me plan my wedding and offers names of a few florists she knows in the area. She is beyond prepared for this interview.

"Well thank you for your time Miss Green, we will get back to you in the next couple of days," Elizabeth finally says, ending the interview. Elizabeth escorts Hannah to reception as Khloe turns to me with a mischievous grin.

"Well Ana, looks like you'd get a wedding planner and an assistant all in one. How convenient?" Khloe jokes. I roll my eyes.

"So have we all decided on Hannah right? She was clearly the best," Elizabeth suggests when she returns

"Yeah," I say feeling bad for the first girl, I really did like her, "Hannah would be perfect."

"Good, I'll call her tomorrow" Elizabeth says as we all exit and go our separate ways. I sit back down in my office and continue to go through my emails. I have way too many emails and I have so much to do, but I procrastinate and open my new email from Christian instead.

**From: Christian Grey**

**To: Anastasia Steele**

**Subject: We aim to please**

**I am very glad you approve. You are right. The lesson from this week is that I should trust you more. I will aim to try Ms. Steele. **

**Your mother called me this morning. She wants to come and stay in Seattle to help my mother plan the wedding. She says she emailed and called you but you never responded. She is welcome to stay with us, but my mother has offered for her to stay with her and my father. **

**Christian**

**Christian Grey, CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, INC. **

Oh mother! Because I have been so busy, I have been playing phone tag with her for days. I immediately give her a call.

"Ana" she says happily

"Hey Mom, sorry we keep missing each other, I have been super busy"

"Of course you have been! Don't worry. Have you spoken to Christian?" she asks and I hear hope in her voice.

"Yes I have, and we would love for you to stay!"

"Good, and don't worry about putting me up. Grace has already offered for me to stay with them. Those future in-laws of yours are so very nice and accommodating" she says and I instantly feel relieved. I love my mom and I am excited that she is coming, but I don't want her to stay with Christian and me. We would have to be on our best behavior.

"They are very sweet. And if you need to, I am sure Christian wouldn't mind putting you up at the Olympic."

"Oh I might take him up on when Bob gets here," she says, "Those rooms are very nice"

"They are. Is Bob not coming with you?" I ask.

"No, he has to work. He will be here the Thursday before the wedding" she says, "Well I know you are busy! I'll be here Saturday! I can't wait to see you!"

"Email me your flight plan and we'll send Taylor to pick you up from Sea-Tac. See you Saturday, Mom!"

We hang up and I turn to my To-Do list. Wedding dress picked out, invitations sent, vows written, and a million other things left to do.


	6. The Mia Grey flare

**A/N – Thanks for taking time to read my fan fic! Keep the reviews coming! I am addicted to what you have to say! lol**

**Chapter 6 – The Mia Grey flare **

**I am awoken from my nap to the feel of lips on my skin.** They are working their way up from my hips to my stomach and eventually to the bottom of my breasts.

"Wake up sleepy head" Christian murmurs deeply as I stir. This is really a wonderful way to wake up.

"Back so soon?" I say smiling.

"Yeah, Ana, I have been gone since 2. It is 5 now." He says. He had a tux fitting with Elliot, Carrick, and our ringer bearer, his baby cousin on his mom's side. He was also supposed to pick up Kate's bridesmaid dress from the same place and then pick up our rings from the jeweler. We are scheduled to have dinner at the Grey's at 6 PM.

"Shit" I say as I bolt up.

He stops my arms and freezes me, "Hey, we can be a little late. You have been nonstop since your mother got here yesterday. I miss my fiancée" His lips find my neck as I wrap my arms around his neck. "I don't like sharing you with all of these people."

"Trust me, I don't like it either." I say as his lips move from my neck to my lips. "Christian, I want you, but I need to be the adult here, I really don't think we have time for this," I say as he slowly eases me back on the bed. I can feel his erection on my hip.

"Oh we have time" he says as he continues his amorous assault, slipping off my t-shirt.

"If anyone asks, you'll tell them we had car trouble" I say, panting.

"Deal"

**We finally pull up to the Grey's at 6:30 PM. **Christian usually doesn't do late, but from the smile on his face I can tell he doesn't care about his reputation of being prompt. Christian walks around to my side of the car to let me out. We walk arm in arm with two big goofy grins on our faces. We are quickly greeted by Mia who looks super anxious to see us.

"Finally you are here, come with me," Mia says forcefully, grabbing my hand. Christian follows us as she leads me through the Grey's massive mansion and into the backyard. I am floored by what I see.

"We have a lot of work to do tonight, I had vendors bring by samples so we can see what we are picking, up close and personal" she explains as she leads me over to rows of different styled chairs and three different wedding arches. Moving on, she brings me to ten mock tables with different types of centerpieces on each table. Last she shows me three different scale models of tents for the reception. Everything is beautiful, everything is lavish, and everything is done with the Mia Grey flare.

"I must say Mia, when you do something, you go big" I say assessing all of my choices spread across the Grey's backyard.

She smiles with glee, "Glad you approve. Now let's eat"

**Dinner is another opportunity to plan for the wedding. **Everyone has a plate with a prospective meal for the reception. Each of us tries our own plate, gives our thoughts on the entrée, and finally at the end of the dinner Grace gives Christian and I an opportunity to pick what we like the best. She explains that our top three picks will be served in a buffet style during the reception.

"Have you thought any about the cake?" Grace asks as our plates are cleared.

"Red velvet for the wedding cake and chocolate for the groom's cake," I say as I look up at Christian, "That is what you want for yours, right?"

He smiles, "Absolutely"

Grace smiles at our responses, "Sounds good. I will talk to the baker tomorrow and we will talk over designs and then I'll have something for you to look at tomorrow night. Also I wanted to add that next Saturday will be an engagement party and wedding shower combined. We sent the announcements for it with the wedding invitations, I hope you don't mind"

"Oh that's lovely, thank you" I say surprised, "But you really don't need to do that. You are already doing so much as it is."

"Well, I would like to throw you a party in yours and Christian's honor without any other outside complications" she says pointedly at Christian. Oh yes, Elena Bitch Troll Robinson is still a lingering presence in my life. I scowl at the thought of her. I feel the tension between Christian and Grace and I try to change the subject.

"And thanks again for housing my mother! I really appreciate it"

Grace's mood suddenly changes, "Oh, it has been my pleasure. Carla and I have gotten a long swimmingly, isn't that right Carla?"

"Sure, whatever you said" my mom calls from the other side of the table. They both cackle like that was the funniest joke in the world.

"Our mothers are in cahoots, I don't know if I like that" Christian whispers in my ear. I feel him more at ease and I am thankful.

"Cahoots? Fascinating use of words, Mr. Grey" I say with a smile. He smiles back and kisses me on my temple.

**After another hour or so of making wedding decisions with Mia, I am on my way out the door with my fiancé in hand. **As we are about to exit after saying our goodbyes, Kate and my mother pop up unexpectedly.

"Christian," Kate says sweetly, "Can I speak to you for a second, in private?" My eyes are filled with worry as I stare down Kate. "Don't freak out," she whispers so only I can hear her, "I'll be nice".

"Ok" he says nervously as she takes him aside.

I turn to my mother, "What was that about?"

She smiles a mischievous smile, "Just something Kate is planning, don't worry about it"

I decide to change topics, "Thank you for coming and helping us plan everything. I don't know what I would do without your help!"

"It is really no problem. Don't worry. We understand that you have a lot going on at work along with all of this wedding planning under such a short time frame. Mia and I have really gotten a lot done, and Grace helps so much when she is not working. We are a good team. With your input and my knowledge of your likes and dislikes, we are surprisingly ahead of schedule. Don't worry, just enjoy being engaged" she says trying to lighten my load.

"I do feel better now that you are here," I confess, "Just make sure that Mia remembers that I want LIGHT pink. If she starts picking out things that are hot pink or forgetting about the silver all together, please stop her."

She laughs, "I'll do my best. Also, remember to not have TOO much fun being engaged, you don't want buns in the oven earlier than expected"

"Mother" I gasp. She laughs at my reaction.

"Just have fun, my sweet girl" she says as she kisses my forehead.

We look over at Kate and Christian and they both look angry. "It's that or nothing at all," I hear Christian gripe at her.

"Fine!" she grumbles and they both rejoin us. Christian grabs my hand and opens the door.

"Well I guess we are going" I say to my mother and an agitated Kate, "We'll see you guys tomorrow night"

"Carla," Christian nods at my mother and we are out the door.

"What was that about?" I ask annoyed and confused. He pulls me in to his arms and kisses my hair.

"Your best friend is annoying" he grumbles petulantly.

I laugh, "Don't pout. You know what that does to me"


	7. A Zombie Intervention

**A/N – So I am getting more excited about where this is all heading, especially this chapter in particular. I know the chapters have been a tad short, but that is just how I do things! I hope you enjoy, this is one of my favorite chapters!**

**Chapter 7 – A Zombie Intervention**

"Mia" I groan over the phone.

"What?" She asks dumbfounded, "Ana, we need ice sculptures, they'll be perfect"

"Can you hear yourself right now? When does one ever NEED ice sculptures" I practically yell into the phone. I am seated in the library, hair up in a messy bun, laptop on my lap with wedding plans spread across my desk. Depending if we have had company over this week, this is how I have looked every night. My days have consisted of work, wedding planning at lunch time, and wedding planning at night.

"I think you are overreacting, ice sculptures are necessary!"

My agitation gets interrupted by Christian. "Get off the phone, it is 11:30." He is standing in the middle of the library in his pajama pants, white t-shirt, and beautiful messy hair.

"But there is so much still left to do" I whisper to him as I hold my hand over the receiver. He walks over to me and immediately grabs my phone.

"Goodnight Mia" he says as he hangs up.

"Christian what are you doing? I need to help them" I protest.

"Your mother is planning, my mother is planning, and we have Mia. I think we have it covered. You have been a walking zombie all week, you need a break" he says as he sweeps me up and places me over his shoulder.

"Christian!" I scream in protest, "But really I need to stop Mia from ordering ice sculptures"

"Ice sculptures?" he groans, "I'll talk to Mia tomorrow."

"But I need…."

"Right now what you need is a good spanking, but seeing as you look exhausted, I will have to compromise and force you to go to sleep" he says as he carries me across the apartment to our bedroom. He sweetly sets me on my feet and points to his t-shirt that he has laid out for me. I smile at the simple act of sweetness as he begins to take down my hair. "I thought your mother told you not to stress about all of this" he says genuinely as I change clothes.

"I just feel bad having them do a lot of this grunt work. My mom came from Georgia to help and your mother works too. I just feel like I need to pull my weight since they are giving up so much of their time" I say apologetically, "And I mean, I have never been one of those girls who planned her dream wedding when she was 6, but I just want to make sure my personality and my tastes are visible on our special day. Especially now that Mia has lost her mind and she is insisting on ice sculptures. And for a couple minutes tonight, I thought it was a good idea"

He shakes his head in exasperation, "I'll call her in the morning and stop that from happening. I understand how you are feeling, but you need to sleep. I wasn't joking when you said you looked like a zombie."

"I will ignore the zombie comment because I am tired" I say as he helps me into his t-shirt.

"But a very sexy zombie" he adds as he leans in for a kiss, "Go to bed Ms. Steele"

"You know, in a little more than a week, you won't call me Ms. Steele anymore. It will be Mrs. Grey" I say as I curl up in bed.

He leans over and kisses me, "I can't wait. Now go to sleep, a few items of business have come up that I need to handle this evening"

"You know that's very hypocritical, I was working and you are forcing me to bed" I say while yawning.

"Well you are much prettier than me so you need more beauty sleep" he says with a small kiss to my temple.

"AH" I groan, "Whatever Grey"

**Friday morning comes too quickly. **I can barely keep my eye lids open as I dress for the day. When I finally join Christian in the kitchen for breakfast, Mrs. Jones looks at me with concern.

"Ms. Steele, I think your dress is on backwards" she says, trying not to smile.

I look down at the tag that is not supposed to be facing me and groan, "I'll be right back." I look over at Christian and he is trying to hold back a chuckle. I change, quickly eat breakfast, and we finally are off to SIP.

"Have a good day Ms. Steele," Christian says as we pull up to the front entrance.

"You too Mr. Grey" I reply as I kiss him.

I head up to my office and immediately call Hannah in to continue our training session from yesterday. We are still in the middle of training her for the three weeks I will be gone on my honeymoon. We talk for a while and when I notice my clock hit 9:45, I hear a ding in my email box. When I notice it is from Christian, I decide it's probably a good time to give Hannah a quick break.

This email is a little different than our usual emails because it only has an MP3 link attached to it with the title of "mood music". I click the link and instantly rhythms I think I recognize fill my office. When the chorus hits, I recognize this as Enya's "Sail away". If Christian likes Enya, that's a deal breaker.

Surprisingly, Kate enters my office a second later. "Kate?" I asked still confused.

"I am here to steal you away for mani-pedi's" she says with a big mischievous smile, "And then we are going to be driven to a mystery location"

"Christian's boat" I say as this all starts to sinks in, "But why is he doing this? I need to work"

"Here" she says as he hands me a note.

**To: My Love**

**I am staging an intervention. You are too stressed with work and everything going on in planning the wedding. Apparently Kate tells me this is normal behavior for you when you get stressed, but I don't like it and I feel like I caused it with my month deadline for the wedding so I would like the opportunity to fix it. **

**I talked to Roach so he knows I am taking you for the day. I know we talked last week about me making decisions without your consent, but you need a day off. As a boss of many, I feel like I am qualified to make this assessment. **

**I love you**

**Christian. **

"I played hooky too Ana" Kate adds, "All the cool kids are doing it"

I chuckle in amusement, "Let me talk to a couple people and then we can go."

I quickly hustle over to Khloe's office. "Hey Khlo I need a small favor"

"Yes Steele" she says amused from her desk.

"I am being whisked away for the day by my fiancé and company. Can you work on Hannah today? I know you wanted to work with her yourself anyway"

Khloe's face lights up, "Oh yes my dear. I'll take care of Hannah Montana. You go with that hot fiancé of yours. Make sure you have lots of hot sex for me!"

"Jesus Kang," I say closing her door, "You are so inappropriate sometimes"

"You love it" she cackles from her chair, "But no, you are right, I wanted to work with Hannah so today will be the perfect time. And you need a day off. You have been working your ass off. You definitely work harder than Jack Hyde ever did. And no offense, but you are starting to look like a zombie."

_ What is it with the zombie references? _"Thanks Kang" I say annoyed.

"Oh calm down. Go get laid, I've got it here. Have a good weekend" she says from her desk.

"Try not to scare off my assistant with your inappropriate jokes" I admonish as I begin to leave.

"At least mine are funny, when Jack Hyde did it he was super creepy" she says as she makes a face. _If only she knew._

I meet up with Kate back in my office, "All clear. Let's go before anyone notices I am gone"

**"This feels so nice" Kate says with a sigh, "This was such a good idea." **I sigh in agreement as I take another sip of champagne. I am even more relaxed now that I am in a "boat sensible" dress and we are at a salon with no affiliation to my fiancé or his ex-pedophile lover. Fifty obviously learned his lesson from the time he took me to get my haircut. "I am so excited to go on Christian's boat!" Kate beams.

"See, Christian isn't so bad" I joke with her.

She scowls, "Eh, he is ok"

A memory pops up of dinner this past Sunday. "What were you talking about with Christian at dinner on Sunday?"

Kate eyes lighten up with mischievous wonder, "Just a little something I am planning."

"Kavanagh, this better not be what I think it is"

"I might as well just tell you, I am planning you a bachelorette party," she says as I groan in response, "But by the time Christian is done meddling in my plans, your bachelorette party will be you, me and Mia sitting around reading the bible"

I laugh, "So he is meddling?"

"Yes, are you surprised? But I think we have finally reached an agreement to what we both deem acceptable for your bachelorette party"

"Bible Readings?" I ask

"No Bible Readings," She says with a smile.

I laugh, "So when is this going to be?"

"When you least expect it!" Kate says animatedly, "The "when" and "what" I am keeping a surprise. And by the way, Elliot is planning something for Christian but I told him I would chop off his balls if they went anywhere near strippers"

"Thank you" I respond in horror. She laughs at my terrified reaction.


	8. Sail Away

**Chapter 8 – Sail away**

**Sawyer drives up to the dock that holds "The Grace" and Kate jumps out like an excited school girl.** _Geez, Hold it together Kavanagh_. I follow behind her and I see Elliot and Christian off in the distance. Christian is looking the part of the relaxed CEO in khaki shorts, a white linen shirt, and his sexy aviator sun glasses. Kate runs and jumps into Elliot's arms and even with aviators on, I know Christian is rolling his eyes. He suddenly turns to look at me, and I can tell he is gauging my reaction. He is obviously nervous that I am going to freak out about him forcing me to leave work, especially after last week. I slowly saunter over to him, wrap my arms around his neck, and pull him in for a deep kiss.

"I was not expecting that reaction," he says when we pull away.

"I am full of surprises Mr. Grey" I say as I kiss him again on the corner of his lips, "Thank you"

"You're very welcome" he says when we kiss again.

"I'd tell you two to get a room but I'd really like to go sailing today," I hear Elliot yell from the boat. Like him and Kate have any room to talk.

"It's my boat Elliot, I could throw you off it if I wanted to" Christian yells back at him as he grabs my hand and helps me on to the Grace.

"Whatever little bro, I'd love to see you try."

**Elliot, Mac, and Christian are able to get "The Grace" on the water in no time, allowing Kate and I to relax, drink more champagne, and unpack the lunch that Mrs. Jones packed for our outing**. Christian and Elliot return and we continue to eat and talk. The weather is perfect and it allows me to feel less like a zombie, and more like Ana Steele.

"So were you able to stop Mia?" I ask Christian.

He rolls his eyes, "Of course. She really has lost it. She didn't just have ice sculptures planned, she had doves, performers at the reception and an Air Supply cover band"

"How the fuck did she get all of that?" Elliot gapes, "And who the hell starts an Air Supply cover band?"

"Mia Grey always finds a way," Christian says with a smile reflecting an ironic sense of pride. Once I finish my lunch, I deposit the trash in our designated trash bag and place my feet in Christian's lap.

"Massage" I demand. He smiles at my request.

"You sure are bossy" he says as he begins to massage my feet. I think I see a faint smile from Kate out of the corner of my eye.

I turn to Elliot, "Kate tells me you are planning Christian's bachelor party"

He turns to Kate and rolls his eyes, "Yes, and I am not telling you anything"

"No strippers" I say as I look at both of them.

Christian scowls at Elliot, "I keep telling him the same thing but I am afraid he won't listen"

"Dude, come on. You need strippers, especially with your lack of experience. I need to help catch you up before you are stuck to this one for the rest of your life" he says as he points to me. Kate immediately smacks him for his insensitive comment. Elliot of course knows nothing of Christian's actual experience so all Christian can do is roll his eyes at his older brother.

Katherine Kavanagh comes to the rescue. "Fine. Get strippers. Just know that neither of us will be putting out for a long time if you do." Elliot's eyes widen in horror. Kate and Elliot have what seems like a telepathic conversation and finally Elliot concedes.

"Fine no strippers" Elliot says annoyed. Christian seems amused by Kate's strategy and for the first time in his life, he looks thankful for her interference.

"I also hear that you and Kate have been discussing my bachelorette party," I say as I turn to Christian.

"Yes," he says very businesslike, "We have reached a plan and that I think we can all agree on"

"Geez, is this my bachelorette party or a business transaction?" I mutter petulantly. He smiles, but says nothing.

"Well," Elliot says turning to Kate, "I think I am going to give Kate a tour of the boat". Kate smiles mischievously and Christian scowls.

They walk off and Christian groans, "Well looks like we won't be using the bed until those sheets get cleaned."

I quickly straddle him and whisper in his ear, "We could out here, you know?"

I feel his smile against my neck, "I love your enthusiasm baby, but Mac is around the corner. I don't think that would be such a good idea." I pull at his earlobe with my teeth and he moves me to where I am pinned under his body, "Behave". I scowl and he chuckles at my reaction. He moves me back to where my feet are in his lap and he continues with my foot massage.

"By the way, I need to run something past you" he says changing his tone, "The announcement of the takeover is happening Monday at SIP, so I thought it might be a good idea if you worked from home next week"

My attitude changes, "What? I can't do that. When everyone finds out, they'll think I am hiding from them. Besides, I need to train my assistant a little bit next week".

He stares impassively at me, "Who cares what the fuck they think?"

"I care Christian". He continues to massage my feet, saying nothing. An idea springs to mind. "What if you moved the announcement to Tuesday? That will give me time to tell people I am working from home with the excuse that our wedding is coming up, which is true. I can have another day to train my assistant and get my stuff together to be gone for the week plus the honeymoon"

He stares off into the distance and I can tell he is thinking about my plan. "Tuesday?" he asks, like he is dealing with an alien concept.

"Tuesday" I repeat back.

"Fine, Tuesday if it will make life easier for you" he says as he pulls me on to his lap, "You are quite the little negotiator Ms. Steele"

"I have my ways Mr. Grey" I say as I playfully bite his neck. He winces but I can tell he is amused.

"Playful are we?" he asks in amusement as I bite him again, "Oh Ms. Steele, it is not polite to bite". He picks me up and I squeal. He carries me to a lower part of the boat and slowly moves me over the ledge.

"You wouldn't" I gasp. Is he really going to throw me over the ledge of the boat? I know I have a life jacket on, but even playful Fifty wouldn't attempt something like this.

"I think it's time for you to take a dip" he says as he nicely tosses me over the ledge of the boat. I hit the water and I am immediately brought up to the top by my life jacket.

"Christian! I can't believe you just did that!" I squeal from the cold water, "Engagement over!"

"Oh baby, don't be so overdramatic," he laughs joyfully as he pulls off his shirt, "I'll come save you!" He jumps in after me with a huge splash and he immediately swims over to me. He takes my head in his hands and looks at me adoringly. "I like you wet" he says with a gleam in his eye as he leans over to kiss me. _God, could I be any happier right now? _I kiss him again and I pull him close to me, or as close as I can while wearing a life jacket.

"What the hell are you 2 doing?" I hear Elliot yell from the boat.

"Just some deep sea exploring" I yell and Christian laughs. He looks so young and carefree and even though he just threw me off his boat, I can't help but smile. I caress his face and kiss him again. Finally we paddle over to the ledge and Mac greets us with a goofy grin. He pulls us both back on the boat and hands us extra towels.

"Come. Since Kate and Elliot are back, let's go to the bedroom. I have an extra pair of clothes for you in the cabin" he says tugging at my hand.

"Did you plan on throwing me off the boat?" I ask as he leads me to the bedroom.

"I like to be prepared for every possible situation," he says as he pulls me through the bedroom and into the bathroom.

He starts the water in the shower and the warmth of the water instantly fills the small bathroom. We both quickly change for our shower. Without a second thought, he pulls me into the shower and our mouths instantly find each other. As we kiss, our hands explore and appreciate each other as the hot water cleanses our skin.

**We are headed back to dock and I am oh so comfortable in a hooded sweatshirt and jeans. **Christian has his arms wrapped around me, my back to his front. I look over at Kate and Elliot and they are in a similar position in the seats across from us. Kate and I exchange elated smiles from our fun afternoon with our Grey brothers. The moon is rising in the sky and the night is proving to be relaxing and romantic. To think I could have been stuck in my office all day.

We exchange goodbyes with Kate and Elliot and Christian escorts me to a waiting SUV with Taylor in the driver seat.

"Are our clothes in here?" I ask suddenly, remembering that I never grabbed them from the bathroom

"Yes ma'am," Taylor says from the front, "All laundry will be delivered to Mrs. Jones when we return to Escala"

"Good," I say as I lean into Christian. "Thank you for today," I whisper so only Christian can hear me, "It really was the best day. I needed it."

"Anytime baby" he says as he kisses my temple. Taylor drives off and I happily drift off to sleep.

**A/N – Ok so I skimped a little on the sex. Sorry! I am bad at writing sex scenes anyway! I am better at joking about sex then actually writing about it! Lol. I hope you liked this chapter! We are heading into the last week of the wedding so stick with me, the fun is just getting started! I don't own FSOG (because the sex would have been much better if I did)**


	9. The Takeover

**A/N – We are getting closer and closer! I am getting excited to get to the big parts! Enjoy and the Bachelorette party should be next! I am so excited for you guys to read all of this! AAAAHHH!**

**Chapter 9 - The Takeover**

** For normal people, a wedding shower would be a time where a young couple would receive gifts that they so desperately need. **Since we really don't need anything, Grace has created a beautiful gathering in our honor and all money is being asked to be donated to Coping Together. I am re-introduced to Christian's grandparents and they are beyond thrilled that we are engaged.

"I am so happy that you will be joining the family Anastasia," Grace's mother beams at me "And we are so excited for the new bundle of joy"

Grace intercedes, "No mother. Anastasia isn't pregnant."

"What?" she seems very confused.

"Not yet, but hopefully soon" Grace says turning to me with hope in her eye. _Oh brother_, no kids, not yet. In the future after Christian and I have been married for a while, absolutely.

I can't seem to concentrate or enjoy the party because all I can do is make "to-do" lists in my head. There is still so much to do and so little time to do any of it.

"Stop it" I hear my Mom say to me from the side.

"Stop what?" I ask innocently.

"You still look stressed, I thought you were better after your little boat excursion yesterday?" she asks.

"I mean that was fun and relaxing, but that doesn't get rid of my to-do lists"

"Oh honey, we are taking care of it. You really do over-analyze and over think way too much! Just enjoy" she encourages as she hands me another champagne glass, "Drink"

"Yes, that will solve everything" I giggle.

As the party begins to wind down, I realize I can't find Christian anywhere. I do a search of the outside, the kitchen, and the dining room and I can't find him anywhere. Finally, I hear his voice come from Carrick's study. I peer in and I see that they are both talking animatedly with another man.

"No prenup" I hear Christian roar, "I thought I told you this". _Oh shit_, not this again. My heart sinks, but I continue to listen.

"Mr. Grey," the other man speaks up, "You are quite wealthy and if she walks away again…" _They know about that? Fucking Shit!_

"I am aware of how fucking wealthy I am and I am aware that my current fiancée at one point walked out of our relationship but that was resolved and I cannot believe you would fucking look for that motherfucking type of information to use against me. I will not sign a motherfucking prenup. Over my dead body," he says almost to the point of screaming, "That's enough, I can't believe you would pull this shit Dad. I am leaving with Ana and you can explain why the fucking guests of honor left their own damn party"

I hear him leave Carrick's study and I scramble. I try to make it look like I was coming out of the bathroom when Christian sees me.

"There you are" he says, still visibly frustrated, "Come on, we are leaving."

"Why?" I ask innocently, trying to act like I wasn't listening.

"My fucking father, let's go" he says as he pulls me toward the door.

"Christian, please, wait" Carrick says calling after him.

"That is the end of this Dad. You say one more word to me about this and I am taking Ana tomorrow and we are going to Vegas and you won't be involved in our wedding. Hell, I may just kick you out now because you won't get it through your head that I don't want that" he says and I can tell he is trying edit his phrasing for my sake.

"Fine, Christian. It's dropped" he says, but I can tell he is still furious with Christian, "Goodnight Son, and Goodnight Ana"

Christian drags me out before I can reply. I would ask him about their conversation, but I really don't want to hear about it again. My future father in law thinks I am going to walk out on Christian and take all of his money with me. This is this last thing I wanted to dwell on a week before my wedding. At least Grace likes and trusts me.

**I am able to push the whole prenup situation to the back of mind for work on Monday. **I am able to accomplish everything I have set out to do for today. I finish training Hannah and she seems ready to take over for four weeks. I grab plenty of work to take home and I give Hannah my cell number for emergencies. With the wedding coming up, most of my co-workers seem to think my working from home this week is a good idea, and they don't give me much grief about it. Well, not everybody.

"What the fuck Steele!" Khloe complains when I make a trip to her office, "Damn it, I was going to announce tomorrow that after my maternity leave, I am quitting SIP for good. After I pop this fourth kid out I don't know how much longer I can handle coming to this place"

"What?" I gasp jokingly, "Who else is going to make inappropriate comments about my fiancé?"

"I KNOW, right?" she says loudly as she cackles some more.

"But really, I am going to miss you Kang. I don't have any other friends around here" I say sincerely.

"Well, after you are married to the gazillionare, I would suggest just throwing money at people. That will win you plenty of friends," she says with a smirk.

"Thank you Khlo, I will be sure to try that". Who else can I depend on at SIP when Khloe Kang is gone? The thought saddens me.

"I hope your baby doesn't look like an alien"

"Fuck you Steele, I am Armenian and my husband is African-American, our babies are gorgeous and this new one will be more beautiful then all of yours with Christian combined".

**Sitting in my pajamas in the great room with my laptop on my lap is so much better then actually going to work. **Christian is sitting in the kitchen, amused by my unkempt appearance.

"Have fun at my job today baby" I say as he leans over to kiss me goodbye. It is Tuesday, the day of the announcement, and I am a little bit nervous. In hindsight, I am glad I stayed home. I would be much more nervous if I was actually there.

"I'll try my best" he smirks.

An idea springs to mind. "While you are there, see if you can negotiate with my work friend Khloe Kang and try to get her to stay with SIP. She told me yesterday that after her maternity leave, she plans on leaving the company."

"Ok," he says surprised by my request.

"Flash her that panty dropping smile of yours. She is kind of obsessed with you. You will totally win her over"

"You want me to flirt with another woman?" he asks stunned.

"For the good of the company" I say in a serious tone.

**It is amazing what I am able to get done from home. **I have already packed my suitcase for the honeymoon, had Reverend Walsh deliver our marriage license, Dr. Greene made a house visit to give me my next shot, and I made final decisions on the cake, the flowers, and the other reception details. My clock hits noon and an email from Khloe Kang pops in my inbox.

**From: Khloe Kang**

**To: Anastasia Steele**

**Subject: You have been holding out on me!**

**They made the announcement today that Christian Grey is my new boss. Well at least for three more weeks, but of course he will be spending two of those weeks with you. Damn you Steele! And I assume you knew all of this, I know you probably couldn't tell me, but still. I thought we were homies!**

**But I will say – thank you for sicking him on me. He talked to me today about sticking around after my maternity leave and I knew you had something to do with it because I hadn't even made the announcement yet. It took all the will power that I have ever had to turn that man down! If I haven't said it before, he is HOT! I shook his hand and I almost came. **

**And yes, I am making this email irritating because I am mad at you for abandoning me this week. I hope home is good, and you are getting lots of plans made! **

**I miss you**

**Kang**

If any other woman made comments like this about Christian to my face, I would probably kill her. When it comes from Kang, I find it hilarious. That was sweet of him to actually talk to her about staying, too bad she said no.

**To: Khloe Kang**

**From: Anastasia Steele**

**Subject: What kind of mother uses the word "Homies"? **

**You are ridiculous, but I love you for it.**

**Damn it, I thought sicking him on you would make a difference. Guess it didn't work. Also, delete these emails after you are done with them, you already got in trouble once for sending dirty emails to your own husband. **

**Behave and remember that you are 34 year old woman with three kids (and one on the way)**

**I miss you too**

**Steele**

Work for sure will be less fun without my little sleezeball.

**It is Wednesday morning and I am on my way to Birdie's shop for my final dress fitting. **Christian left for his Bachelor party this morning with Elliot and Ethan**. **Elliot is taking Christian fishing and hiking somewhere in Portland. My future brother-in-law is not too pleased that his little brother's party won't involve strippers, but I could tell this morning that Christian is genuinely excited for the trip.

"Be careful" Birdie warns as she helps me into my wedding dress. Carla, Mia, Kate, and Grace are all seated outside of the dressing room in Birdie's shop, waiting for me to come out. Birdie did a hell of a job with my dress. I am unrecognizable in the mirror as admire myself before I show my crew. The lace lies perfectly off my shoulders and the dress looks tailored made for me. I walk out and all four women gasp at me.

"Oh honey!" Mom beams, "You look beautiful!"

"Guys, stop crying," I beg as I see tears form in Grace and Mom's eyes.

"Sorry sweetie, you just look perfect!" my mom cries as Grace turns to her purse.

"I have something for you" Grace says as she pulls out a small square box. She turns to Mia, "You will get this when you get married. And no pressure Kate, you will too if you marry Elliot." She opens the box and in it lays a small blue garter. "The women in my family have worn it for years. I wore it at my wedding and I want you to have it for your wedding to my son"

It is my turn to cry, "Thank you Grace! I am so honored to be able to wear it!"

She hugs me and whispers in my ear, "And you have no idea how blessed we are to have you. You are a true blessing for my son and my family". She pulls back and smiles, "This can be your something blue, old and borrowed!"

"How efficient" I say with a smile.

Birdie has me try on different pairs of shoes before we settle on a pair of white Jimmy Choos.

"So we have decided that there will be no veil," Birdie says very businesslike, "Katherine has her dress and the boys have their tuxes. Have you ladies decided on mother of the bride and mother of the groom dresses?" Both Mom and Grace shake their heads in response. "Good, so it looks like all clothing has been determined for the wedding"

"I brought my suitcase for the honeymoon and the rings for the ceremony. Can I leave those at your house, Grace?" I ask as I go back to change.

"Of course," Grace replies, "We are already taking the dress to be held at the house so that shouldn't be a problem"

"Tomorrow afternoon, Grace and I will be over to complete a final checklist for the wedding" my mom adds.

"Are we really almost done?" I ask in shock from behind the curtain.

"Give or take a few small details, but we are really almost done"


	10. Giddy Ups

**A/N – This chapter was a FREAKING BLAST to write. This chapter also has a song play list – I would YouTube them before reading this story so you know what songs I am talking about. The songs are "Shots" by LMFAO ft Lil John and "Jump" by Kriss Kross. I kind of over did it on the writing today and yesterday so please don't expect the "Confession to Kate" chapter to come too quickly. I did start it yesterday but it may take me a while to put out (Side note – It is from Kate's perspective, I am just a smidge excited to finish it). Also – I had a lot to edit today and my K key kept crapping out on me so please forgive any errors you might find!**

**Enjoy and know I don't own FSOG**

**Chapter 10 – Giddy Ups**

**As I escort Grace and my mother to the elevator, I am still in disbelief from their words earlier this evening.**

"It is all done".

The wedding planning is finished and in two days, I will become Mrs. Christian Grey. I am getting the wedding that I want, simple yet elegant as Grace described it. It is a relieving feeling, but making me suddenly anxious all at once. Maybe the anxiety is cold feet? I am not 100 percent sure. I try to push my feelings aside as I join Christian, Ethan, and Elliot in the TV room to watch the Mariners game.

"Is it all done?" he asks me when I slide beside him and rest my head on his chest.

"It is all done" I whisper back.

Unexpectedly, I hear a large siren behind me. I put my hands up to my ears and I see Mia and Kate standing at the threshold. Mia has a massive megaphone strapped to her neck, and everything they are wearing seems to be glowing.

"We have come to take you away Steele," Kate cackles with glee.

"Seriously?" I yell back at her.

"Don't whine," Kate demands, "And come on, we need to get you dressed for tonight. I brought over clothes."

"What clothes?" I ask.

"Just wait and see".

Kate and Mia take over Christian's bathroom as they help me get ready for tonight's festivities. "Ok Mia, start packing a suitcase for Ana. She is staying with me tonight and tomorrow night" Kate says as she forces me into a chair, "You sit, I need to do your hair."

"Tonight and tomorrow night?" I gasp

"I am not letting you out of my sight tonight," she explains, "And tomorrow night is the night before your wedding. You can't spend it with the groom, that's bad luck" Two nights without Christian, I am not sure if I like that.

"Don't make that face," Kate groans, "You have the rest of your life with him. You can give me two nights." Kate begins working on my make-up and hair while I instruct Mia on what I want for the next couple days in my suitcase.

When Kate is finally finished with my hair and makeup, I look like I need to try out for a MTV reality show. My hair is in a poof and my eye shadow is jet black. When she pulls out the dress she has for me, I gape at her in horror. It is a hot pink and covered with sparkles.

"What the hell Kate?" I yell, "Do we have an audition to be Vegas show girls tonight? Do I need to practice my fan kicks?"

"Bag is ready to go!" Mia says triumphantly, "I'll go take it to Sawyer and the other security guys outside"

The other security guys? Is more security the concession that Kate needed to make for this night to happen? She nods her head as if she is reading my mind, "Yeah, Christian has eight security guys for this evening"

_Oh Fifty!_ "Eight?" I yell in horror.

"He said eight or the Bachelorette party wasn't going to happen," Kate says as I remember their argument from last week.

"_**It's that or nothing at all" **_

"Don't worry" Kate says as she helps me slip into the Vegas prom dress, "We are still going to have a great night, trust me". She throws a "bride to be" sash around my neck and throws a princess crown on my head. "You are good to go Steele"

**The guys are standing in the great room as I make my entrance. **"Holy shit Steele! Are you moving to Jersey?" Ethan laughs when I walk out.

"Blame your sister" I grumble as I glare at a happy Kate.

She ignores my comment, "Ok Christian, I am not only taking her tonight, but for tomorrow night too. So say your goodbyes now". Elliot, Ethan, Kate, and Mia walk away to give us a moment alone.

"I am not sure if I like that I have to spend two nights away from you" I pout as he leans in to kiss me.

"But then I get you to myself completely for three whole weeks" he says as he moves in for another kiss, "Tonight, stay with security and please eat and drink water periodically. And behave yourself. I want you back in one piece". He pulls me in for a deeper kiss and he runs his hand down my thigh. "I do not like how short this skirt is," he complains.

"Ok" I hear Kate say as she walks over to us, "I am taking her now. Say goodbye"

"Goodbye Ana" Christian says as I walk away.

"Goodbye Christian".

**Our first stop on the Bachelorette party tour is a posh restaurant in downtown Seattle. **Four security guards stand watch outside of our private room and four are standing in the room with us. Sawyer is head of the security team tonight, and I can tell he is enjoying his new title for the evening.

"You need to eat all of the food off your plate before we can go to the next location" Kate says to me like she is reading from a manual.

"Christian's rules?" I ask and she nods her head, "What other rules does he have for this evening?"

"I doubt you'll be surprised by any of them. "No strippers" is #1 on the list. We are bar hopping tonight so I have been told to hydrate you every 3 drinks. Stay with the massive security team. And so on," She lists for me.

"Bar hopping?"

She smiles adoringly as she goes into her monologue that I know she has been waiting to deliver, "You are 21 marrying a 27 year old rich and powerful man. After Saturday, you won't have the opportunity to act like a true 21 year old ever again. I am giving you your last night as a hot, young, single woman. Not even Mr. Mogul was going to stop me on my quest."

"Cheers to being young and hot" Mia says with a smile as she raises her glass of water. For Katherine Kavanagh, this is a sweet gesture. Kate has tried to break me out of my shell every day that we have known each other and she has been mostly unsuccessful. She is right and I owe Kate and myself a night with "Wild and Crazy Ana". I just need to find the key to the closet that I locked her in.

**As we walk to the last bar of the night, a western bar called "Giddy Ups", I realize that I am really drunk. **Tonight's bar hopping adventure has been really fun. Kate has been tossing drinks my way all night and I am really starting to feel the after effects of all the alcohol. I am very thankful for Christian's water rule because I do not feel the need to puke like I did that time in Portland.

Having eight security team members follow us is driving Kate and Mia crazy, but they are getting to the point of being too drunk to care. Being a bachelorette party, we are getting a lot of male attention, and I have learned that keeping male attention away from me was written in to Ryan's job description for this evening. _Fifty sure thinks of everything_. All male phone numbers that have made it past Ryan's watch have been given promptly to Mia.

As we walk through the threshold of "Giddy Ups" I see Kate's expression change. "We are just in time" she says cryptically as she grabs us more drinks.

"Giddy ups" is set up differently than the other clubs we have been to tonight. There are circle tables on the sides and two long platforms in the middle with stools around the edges. Bars are everywhere for easy access no matter where you are sitting. Kate drags Mia and me to one of the stools and hands us our drinks. The security team scatters throughout the bar and Ryan and Sawyer stay close behind the three of us.

After a few more drinks, louder country music fills the bar and Kate's smile gets bigger. She discreetly passes me several dollar bills and my eyes grow wide.

"What did you do?" I say to her as she smiles with glee. Suddenly, shirtless male dancers with chaps and cowboy hats trot on the stage and the women in the bar go wild. The men move across the platforms and begin to dance right in front of us.

Kate turns to Ryan and Sawyer, "Wow, totally slipped my mind that Thursday night is ladies night at Giddy ups. OOPS"

Ryan and Sawyer look horrified and I am not sure if it's from being tricked by Kate or the fact that half naked male dancers are dancing three feet in front of them.

"Holy shit" I scream at Kate as they continue to shimmy in front of us, "Christian and Elliot are going to kill you"

She smirks arrogantly, "I am not afraid of Christian Grey. And as far as Elliot, I can threaten with no sex, but I doubt Elliot has the will power to do that same." We both cackle with laughter as the men continue to dance provocatively. We look over at Mia and she is whooping with joy.

"Hey Bachelorette" the male dancer in front of me yells, "Gotta dollar?" Kate happily re-picks up the dollar she gave me and shoves it in my face.

"What the hell?" I yell at half naked man. All the alcohol has obviously made me very brave. I take the dollar and slip it into the leg of his chaps. Kate whoops with joy and I get a big smile from the dancer.

"Thanks hot stuff!" he says as he continues to dance with his crew. I look around nervously hoping Christian doesn't pop up out of nowhere, or that there aren't paparazzi ready to capture my little moment with a stripper.

"Time to go" Sawyer says firmly in my ear.

"**Kate, both Mr. Greys would like to have a word with you outside," Sawyer says from the driver's seat as he hangs up his phone. **We are pulled up outside Kate's apartment and I recognize the other SUV already parked out front.

"Let me Sawyer," I say as I try to open the car door. I should stick up for my friend.

"No Miss Steele, Miss Kavanagh was requested" Sawyer says locking the door on me. He has seemed really agitated with all of us since we left Giddy Ups.

"No Ana," Kate warns, "I knew when I planned this that I would have to answer to the boys. I can handle myself. And besides I am not sure if you can walk, it was like watching Bambi walk for the first time when we were leaving the club."

"Was not" I say defensively as she gets out of the car. Sawyer and Ryan follow her her out and I am left locked in the SUV with a sleeping Mia.

Elliot, Christian, and Taylor get out of the other SUV and they all meet in the middle. Christian looks really good, angry as hell, but really good. I wonder if he'd let me pounce on him once he is done yelling at Kate.

They all begin talking angrily at each other. I can't tell what anyone is saying so I decide instead that I need music. I pull out Kate's IPhone and quickly try to figure out what my favorite dance song from tonight was. Oh yes, _"Shots" by LMFAO_. I would never download any of LMFAO's songs in a normal situation, but "wild alcohol induced Ana" needs it desperately. It downloads as I try to crawl in to the passenger seat. I of course trip and hit the horn on accident. The angry mob turns to the SUV to try to figure out what happened, but they can't see because of the tinted windows. They turn back a second later to continue their angry conversation.

I connect Kate's IPhone to the sound system and turn it up loud. The song is blaring and I can feel the base thump throughout the car. It wakes Mia and she begins to dance wildly. I faintly hear Kate yell, "Get that shit off my IPhone".

"FINE" I yell back, not sure if she can hear me. I zoom through her IPod and I laugh loudly when I see Jump by Kriss Kross in her library of songs. I laugh even louder when I see it on her "Most Played" play list. I switch it quickly and the beats thump throughout the SUV. Mia and I scream "JUMP, JUMP" as the music plays. Suddenly, I see Kate at my window. I roll down the window and she looks pissed.

"I am already taking the heat for all of this right now, it would be much easier if you weren't also outing me as a Kriss Kross fan at the same time," she says angrily but I can tell she is trying not to laugh. I look over at the boys and their faces range from amused to angry. I would not want to deal with all of that.

"Sorry Kate," I say as I roll the window back up. I turn off the music and Mia and I sit in silence.

"Do you think we are in trouble too?" Mia asks.

"Who knows?"

Ten more minutes pass and finally Sawyer returns to the driver seat. Christian is at my door and Sawyer unlocks the car. Christian greets me impassively as he lifts me over his shoulder. I squeal and he smacks me on the behind.

"Hush. You have already made enough commotion tonight," he says sternly as he carries me through the apartment complex and up to my door. Kate and Taylor follow behind us. I notice that Taylor has a massive plastic bag in his left hand and my suitcase in his right hand.

"Are you mad at me?" I whisper as he steps out of the way to let Kate open the door.

"Yes" he says after thinking about it for a second.

"Are you mad at Kate?" I ask, still hanging from his shoulder.

"Yes" he says and I can tell he is more adamant about his anger toward Kate then his anger towards me. He carries me into the apartment and sets me nicely on the couch.

"Why are you mad at me?" I ask sleepily as he helps me out of my heels.

"Maybe I should reserve my ire for the male dancer you slipped a dollar to" he says coldly as I turn bright red. _Shit_, I instantly regret my drunken actions.

I grab his face and stare him directly in the eyes, "I am so sorry baby, yours are the only chaps I ever want to slip money in to. How can I make it up to you?"

His eyes are cold and my cuteness is not as effective as I would have hoped, "You can eat the tacos I brought for you and you cannot get into any more trouble"

"For as long as we both shall live" I add as I lean in to kiss him on the side of his lips. Taylor sets down my luggage and quickly exists. Kate walks to her room to change, leaving us alone. He walks over to my suitcase and pulls out a silk nightgown for me to sleep in. I quickly topple over, realizing Christian was the reason I was able to sit up. He sits me back up and begins to help me out of my dress. He quickly takes off my bra and pulls the nightgown over my head and over my body. He sighs wistfully as he takes my Vegas bridesmaid dress and throws it on the bean bag chair. He takes down my poof and tucks a piece of hair behind my ear.

"Thank you" I say sleepily as I caress his face.

"You're welcome" he says as he impassively stares into my eyes. He is still mad, but I think a part of him is happy that this night is over. Kate walks back in with her pajamas on and pulls out tacos for herself. She is ignoring any eye contact with Christian and I know he must have been rough with her earlier.

"Don't be mad at me baby" I say as I kiss him again, "All I did was stick a dollar in his general vicinity, something millions of women all over the country do before they get married. I would have much rather it had been you anyway"

He eyes me suspiciously, "Really?"

"Yeah he was not cute. You can ask Kate. And I think he was Latin, totally not my type" I say and I can tell he is trying not to smile, "My type is more of a copper headed, grey eyed, CEO with a beautiful smile. And someone who can preferably fly a helicopter and sail"

"Despite the fact that you are being absolutely adorable right now, I am still fucking pissed at both of you." He is back. As we kiss again, I try to pull him to the couch.

"Kate is here" he says as he understands my intentions.

"Ignore her, I do" I say as I continue my assault. He pulls away and stands up.

"Alright, that's my cue to leave" he says straightening his clothes, "Please behave yourselves. If I can't trust you two to behave then I am going to leave Sawyer here to babysit you"

"Yes dear"

"And please eat your tacos" he says pointing to the kitchen. I giggle and he leans over to kiss me one last time.

"Laters baby" he whispers to me before he leaves. Once he is gone, Kate takes a seat beside me on the couch. She hands me my tacos and smiles.

"I am surprised you're still smiling after all of that" I laugh.

"I told you Ana, I planned all of this knowing that they would go postal on me. And they did, and I dealt with their wrath. It really wasn't that bad"

"So you did all of this for me?" I ask as I bite into my first taco.

"I'd do anything for you Thelma!" she says with a smile, "You're my girl. We have to stick together"

"Oh Louise, I can always count on you"


	11. The Drunken Confession

**A/N – Thank you for all the love for the Bachelorette party chapter! Sorry this next chapter has taken so long to get out! I have been sort of stressing about this because I want it to be perfect! For you, for me, for all 50 Shades fans everywhere! I hope you enjoy! Let me know how I did! I also want to say – this was tough because it was hard to determine what exactly Ana told Kate. I went off clues that were scattered throughout Freed, so I made my best guest to what their conversation could have been like. I promise I tried my best and wanted my interpretation to REALLY do this justice. I'll shut up now, enjoy!**

**The Drunken Confession**

**Kate's POV**

_How the hell did she do that_? Ana didn't see Christian when I was summoned outside to talk to him, Elliot, and the security team. They informed him of Ana's moment with the male dancer and he was fucking fuming. Then he takes ten minutes to dress her for bed and she has him right under her little spell. I was shocked that he walked out of my apartment with somewhat of a smile on his face.

I realize that I really don't understand their relationship. He seems like such an asshole to everyone, but with Ana he is different. She hasn't turned him from a ferocious lion into a little innocent lamb, but anyone with two eyes and a brain can see that she has a profound effect on him.

Then there is the email, the email that scared the shit out of me. I knew there was something different about Christian Grey when I met him and I had a feeling he would be terrible for someone as naïve as Ana. I couldn't put my finger on what was off about him, but that email brought everything together. Christian Grey is in to some kinky shit and he was dragging or had dragged, this is still unclear, my virginal best friend with him. The signs were all there: her erratic behavior, her crying all the time, her stating that he was unwilling to commit, the weird chemistry early on, and her sudden trip to Georgia. I was sure he had done something to her, turned her into his freaky sex slave or something.

Now Ana seems normal, as normal as one can be when they are in a relationship with Christian Grey. Something happened while I was gone to Barbados and I just can't seem to put it together. She promised me that she would shed some light on the email that I found but she never has. I am just so confused by everything and I really wish she would follow up.

We are both quietly sitting in the living room, not saying much. I think we are both still wired from this evening. Ana flips on the TV and turns it to the "Real Housewives of New York". While we were in college, we would allow ourselves one night a week of trashy TV. Every "Real Housewives" location made an appearance on those special nights. As she gets up to get another diet coke, I realize this is the best chance I will ever have to ask her about the email and her relationship with Christian. She is still pretty drunk from tonight, the diet coke she is about to drink will keep her up for a while, and the Real Housewives are on, a perfect show to talk through.

"So are you ever going to explain that email from Christian's birthday party?" I ask and she freezes. She finally takes a deep breath and turns her attention to me.

"What do you want to know?" _ I don't know Ana._ _Maybe you could start with how in your first ever relationship you managed to find a guy who is into whips and anal fisting, whatever the fuck that is._

"Are you kidding me? You need to start from the beginning. That email was, for the lack of a better word, crazy"

She nods her head, realizing I am right. "You have to promise Kate that this doesn't leave us. You cannot tell anybody what I am about to tell you."

"I told you at Christian's birthday party that I won't blab and I mean it. You're my best friend, I wouldn't do that you" I answer back, affronted with the insinuation that I would run my mouth. Christian is not my favorite person, especially after tonight, but I wouldn't spill his business to the world.

"I'm sorry," she says, understanding my hurt, "You just need to know that what I am about to tell you is a lot to take in. Information overload"

"Ok, ok, geez just get on with it" I say trying to urge her to start talking.

"Ok, well I am going to start with the beginning because you need to know the big picture," she says, "Grace and Carrick adopted him from a rough situation. His mother was a crack whore and he was neglected by her and abused by her pimps"

Elliot told me he had a rough start in life but I never expected those words to come out of her mouth. "Shit"

"Yeah," she says as I see tears build in her eyes, "One of his mother's pimps left really deep cigarette burns on him. They are really bad." She is about to start crying so I lunge for the tissue box on the coffee table and hand it to her. _I was not expecting this._

"Thank you" she says as she wipes her nose and continues, "She committed suicide with him in the room and the police found them several days later. Grace was the doctor who examined him when the Police brought him to the hospital. From there, Carrick and Grace adopted Christian. He was so traumatized that he didn't speak for two years. When he got older, he was involved in nasty fights at school and he was kicked out several different schools"

"Elliot told me about how he didn't talk and how he used to get into fights" I add trying to put all of this together.

She looks at me and smiles, "How are you doing? I feel the need to pace this out because there is a lot to that email and a lot to Christian".

"I'm good Steele," I reassure her, "I am a journalist. I am not easily shocked."

Her smile turns to a frown, "Well, just wait. Flash forward to Christian at 15. He was seduced by one of Grace's friends and they had a sexual relationship for 6 years"

"What the hell!" I blurt out in shock, "Does Grace know?"

Her eyes get dark and I can tell she doesn't like talking about this. "She found out at Christian's birthday party, Grace smacked her and called her a whore. Her name is Elena Lincoln and she was the one who introduced him to BDSM relationships."

"Well you did it Steele, you found a way to shock me" I say as I get up to grab a Diet Coke, "So I guess I am confused, what goes in to those types of relationships. All I know is what I have seen on shows like Dateline or Nightline or 60 minutes"

She sighs, "I'll do my best to explain it. Just keep in mind that all of the information I am telling you is still really confusing to me. Also, I am still pretty drunk. I am having trouble piecing my thoughts together"

I sit back down and laugh, "You are doing a good job so far."

She nods her head and begins, "Ok with Christian for example, he loves control. So a BDSM relationship allows him to have complete control over another person, in and out of a sexual context. That is why he creates a contract saying what is expected and what he is allowed to do, similar to the contract you found in my room. He is considered the "dominant" and the woman is the "submissive""

"Makes sense, explains why he is such a control freak. So you let him have that much control over you?" I counter back.

"Kate you are getting ahead of me."

"He was seduced by Mrs. Robinson from the _Graduate_, and then he went to Harvard, dropped out, came back to the West coast and started Grey Enterprises Holdings. What else could there be?"

She lets out a small unexpected giggle.

"What?" I ask confused.

"I call her Mrs. Robinson too." We both cackle with delight.

"Anyway" I say trying to get us back on track, "Am I missing anything?"

"Oh you know, just BDSM relationships with 15 other women before me." Diet Coke comes spewing from my nose.

"15?"

"15" she says shaking her head.

"Damn Steele, you sure know how to pick 'em. But on the bright side, Elliot's track record isn't much better"

"Men!" she says as she animatedly throws her arms up in the air. I laugh at her reaction, but I want to get back on track. She has explained so much, and I have somewhat of an idea to why Christian is the way he is. I of course want more.

"So, now we are up closer to present day. When did you learn specifically that Christian was in to this shit?"

"The night he took me to Seattle and I lost my virginity"

_Oh no. Don't tell me he did what I think he did._ "He didn't have your first sexual experience be…."

"In his Red Room of pain?" she says finishing my statement, "No, let me get to that Kavanagh! Can you cool it with the interrogation shit and let me just tell you the story?"

"Fine" I concede, "What do you mean by his "Red Room of Pain"?"

"I'll get to it!" she says exasperated, "He took me to Seattle and showed me what he calls his "playroom" or as I call it, his "Red Room of Pain". It has all of the implements that he uses for sex. We can have another conversation about everything he uses later, but right now I just want to get through this. He told me that he wanted a BDSM relationship with me. He showed me the contract and we discussed it. I then informed Mr. Grey that I was very much a virgin"

I giggle and she smiles, "How did he take that information?"

"How do you think?" she laughs, "He couldn't believe I was a virgin, he knew I was inexperienced…"

"That is why he sent you all of those warnings" I chime in.

"Exactly" she replies, "But he couldn't believe that I was still a virgin"

"So….?"

"He made love to me in his bedroom, something he never did before me. He decided I needed an introduction to sex because of my inexperience."

"That makes sense," I add relieved.

"From there we switched between beginner's sex, or vanilla sex as he calls it, and sex in his "Red Room of Pain". He also had a list of rules for me and if I didn't follow those rules, he would punish me," she adds and I can tell she is trying to gauge my reaction to what she is saying. I am still very confounded by all of this.

"So did you ever sign his contract? Were you ever his submissive?' I ask.

"I never signed the contract, but I promised I would try out his lifestyle for him because that is the only type of relationship he understood and I wanted to be with him. You saw the aftermath of some of that" she explains, almost ashamed.

"The aftermath?" I ask confused

"You remember the night you came home and I was crying?"

"Yes." _Oh hell, where is she going with this?_

"I rolled my eyes at him, something he told me he hated, so he spanked me"

"He what?" I almost scream.

"That is a part of all of this, Kate. I gave him my full permission to spank me"

"See this is what really pisses me off Ana and makes me question him. Mr. Control Freak wants you to be his submissive and gets you into shit that is not you. You are not this type of person"

"Things obviously changed. And if you want me to tell you how it changed then I am going to need you to calm down and try not to have a heart attack" she demands.

"Fine" I mutter petulantly.

Her eyes go grim and I instantly get worried. "So I went to Georgia, just to try to gain some perspective on everything. Well to make a long story short, he ended up flying to Georgia to see me." _That's actually kind of sweet,_ but she still looks worried. "And it was amazing, he took me gliding and he made love to me, and it just seemed perfect. He seemed like he wanted more than just a submissive/dominant relationship."

"Seemed perfect?"

"When we got back, I decided that I needed to know how bad it could get. I wanted to see how far he wanted to take me…" she says as she sighs wistfully, "He punished me with a belt"

My entire body freezes, "He fucking hurt you?" She nods her head and I can't sit any longer. I start pacing around the living room. "I'll kill him" I finally blurt out.

"Kate, I left him."

"Thank God" I blurt out in agitation. If Ana wasn't so calm right now I would drive over to Christian's apartment myself and beat the shit out of him with my entire belt collection.

"Are you ok? Do you need me to get you another Diet Coke?" she asks, concerned for me.

I smile a sad smile, "No thank you. When I asked you to explain the email, I wasn't expecting all of this".

"Sorry for the information overload" she says apologetically as she grabs me another Diet Coke.

"So you left?" I ask as she sits back down.

"I did leave him because you were right, I couldn't have that type of relationship with him. I wasn't going to let him do that to me again and I just didn't think I could be what he wanted" she explains, "And it was hell. The worst week of my life, without exception"

"What brought him back?" I ask as I take a sip.

"Jose's art show. When I left, I gave Christian back the car he bought me as a graduation present. That meant I didn't have a way to get to Portland so Christian offered to take me," she continues to explain, "He took me to dinner afterwards and told me that he wanted a different relationship with me. A relationship that got rid of the rules and punishments"

I'm still confused. "Just like that? I did research over sadism for a psychology class, I mean I assume he is a sadist by how you described him, and I saw case studies of people who had been enthralled in that life for years. That doesn't mean they have to be stuck in that life forever, but it just seems really sudden and out of character based off of what I had studied for class…" I ramble, trying to wrap my head around all of this.

"That's what I thought too. I even talked to Christian's shrink and he says that Christian's way of life wasn't working for him anymore so his new focus is a relationship with me, or something like that. Dr. Flynn can explain it all much better. So I don't know, I guess that isn't a guarantee he won't want to go back. What I do know is that he tells me all the time that the idea of hurting me his abhorrent to him, and I know that I love him and the idea of living without him is impossible for me to even grasp"

I try to process everything she has told me and my brain is foggy, a fog of shocking information and alcohol. I do know that my best friend is safe and sound and her relationship with Christian seems to be fine. She seems happy with him, and nothing since Barbados has given me cause for concern. I guess that is all I can hope for right now, but I need to keep my eyes peeled.

"Just promise me something Ana" I add.

"Yes?" she says humoring me.

"If he hurts you without your consent, let me know and I'll kick his ass"

She giggles, "Of course Louise"

"But I mean it Ana. If you ever feel like he is slipping into his old habits, go get help. Talk to his shrink, or somebody. "

Her face gets serious, "Of course"

I turn to the clock and it is 3 AM. "We need to go to bed"

"Ah! Yes, we have massages at 11!" she says as she walks to her room.

"By the way, I was washing all the sheets in the apartment the other day and I noticed that one set had a sticky residue on it. You wouldn't happen to know what that sticky residue is, would you." I ask as she blushes.

"It's ice cream" she says very embarrassed.

"Spread all over the sheets?" I ask as her blush gets darker. _Ana, Ana, Ana._

"It's my own damn fault…. I shouldn't ask questions about anything ever again"


	12. The Rehearsal

**A/N – Thank you guys for the sweet feedback! I wanted to do you guys proud and it looks like I accomplished that! Thank you!**

**Also – my life decided to get insane yesterday so many of you have requested chapters and I still have not given them to you. Here is how I want to do this – email me at Topangamichelle (yahoo).com. This is a neutral email address (I use it when I don't want to give out my real email) and I will delete your emails after I send out the chapter. It is hard to send out chapter by messaging because they freeze the messaging for spamming purposes. Please try this and hopefully it will work a lot better. Sorry for the mess and inconvenience!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 12 - The Rehearsal **

** "STEELE" I hear Kate yell as she opens my door, "It is 10:15.** Mia will be here soon to yank us to our massages." I roll over and groan. I feel like shit. My head is in pain and I can't get up. Kate pops back in, "There is water, Advil, and extra tacos in the kitchen. If you stay in here any longer you will have to deal with Mia"

"Good point" I say as I sit up. My body is screaming at me as I eat and head back to my room to get dressed. As I am brushing my teeth, Kate pops into my bathroom unannounced.

"I meant to ask you last night. Who was that girl with a gun in our apartment?"

"One of the 15. She was in love with Christian but the feeling wasn't mutual," I say impassively. I am too tired to think too much about that memory. Kate shakes her head in disbelief. It is obvious that she is just as tired as I am. "Hey are you ok after last night? I know you got a lot of information" I ask concerned.

"I'm good Steele, stop worrying and let's just have fun today"

"Do you think the boys are still pissed?" I ask.

"Probably" she laughs.

Twenty minutes later, Mia pounds on the door.

"Good morning" she shrieks when Kate lets her in.

"Mia, shut your whore mouth" Kate yells at her.

I smile, this is classic Kate. "Sorry Mia, Kate calls everyone a whore whenever she has a massive hangover".

"Quit acting like you know me, you whore" Kate yells from her bedroom.

"Exhibit A," I say as Mia giggles.

"Come on hangover twins! We have massages and I am adding facials because you two look dreadful"

**After our morning of facials and massages, with female masseuses- thank you Fifty- Mia, Kate, and I finally sit down to lunch at a high end bistro in town. **I am feeling much better after last night's festivities, but I think I could still use a nap.

"You two are so lucky that you didn't have to deal with the boys after they left the apartment" Mia complains, "They took me home and I had to sit in between them in the SUV. Elliot was pissed that you got strippers, Christian was also pissed that you got strippers and that you disobeyed orders. They felt the need to complain about it all the way to Mom and Dad's"

I feel bad for Mia. It must have been an interesting experience growing up with Christian and Elliot.

"Sorry Mia," Kate and I both say at the same time.

She smiles, "Don't be sorry. We had a good time. They need to know that they can't always get their own ways"

I roll my eyes, "I don't think Christian will ever learn that lesson"

"I don't know," Mia giggles, "I think you do a pretty good job dealing with Christian, a lot of people are intimidated by him"

Kate adds, "You should have seen him last night. He was so mad and then ten minutes with you, he was completely different. I think you have a bigger effect on him then you realize"

I am too tired to think too deeply about any of this, "I think I need a nap when we get home"

**"Ok you two," Mia admonishes from our doorstep, "Don't sleep too late. The rehearsal for the wedding starts at 5:00 so you need to be at our house at 4:45. Sawyer will come pick you both up at 4:30. Do NOT oversleep"**

"Yes of course," I hear Kate placate Mia as she finally shuts the door on her. I curl up on my old bed and drift off.

I hear pounding coming from the front. _What could this possibly be about? _I get up sleepily and answer the front door. I look through the peep hole and Sawyer is standing outside. What is he doing here already? He is not supposed to pick us up until 4:30. I gently open the door and I see panic in Sawyer's eyes.

"Ms. Steele, it is 4:50, Miss Grey is in a panic" he says as I look over to the kitchen clock to confirm the time. _Holy shit, it is 4:50._

I quickly run into Kate's room and she is passed out cold. I punch her in the arm and she stirs.

"What the…"

"Kate it is 4:50"

"Yeah?"

"Kate its 4:50"I yell loudly as she realizes what is going on.

We both get dressed at lightning speeds as Sawyer waits in the living room. Kate pulls out a pink dress with matching heels for herself and she picks out a white, silk dress with purple accents for me.

"I bought this yesterday but it looks terrible with my skin tone. This is a dress for brunettes" she says as I slip it on. _Oh, I do look good. _She smiles and pulls out a curling iron as I admire myself.

"Let me do your hair, Bride. Mia can wait" she says as she begins to curl the bottoms of my hair. For being rushed, we both look surprisingly good.

"We can do make up in the car" Kate says as she quickly fixes her own hair.

Even though we are running late, Sawyer drives slowly so we can do our makeup. When we finally make it to the Grey's house, it is 5:20. We run up the front steps and we are greeted by Mia at the door.

"Come with me, "she growls. We follow her with no arguments. She takes us to what will be my dressing room for the wedding and we are greeted by Elliot, the flower girl, and Ray.

"Daddy" I squeal as I jump into his arms. Ray looks like my Ray but in a better fitted suit.

"Annie, hi" he says taken back by my enthusiasm.

"Sorry Dad, I am just so happy to see you"

He smiles, "You don't need to apologize for that"

"Ok," Mia barks, "The music is going to start and the flower girl will go first. Then I'll give the signal for Elliot and Kate. Then I will give the signal for Ray and Ana, any questions?"

"So do I go before or after Ana?" Elliot jokes and Mia's scowl deepens, "I guess it is not wise to mess with the wedding planner today." Kate moves to kiss Elliot on the cheek and he turns his head immediately away from her, all of his good humor is gone. He must still be really pissed at Kate. I wonder quickly if Fifty is still fuming at me.

The music begins as the flower girl makes her entrance to the crowd outside. Kate sighs because I think she recognizes the music. Christian asked if he could pick the music for the wedding, and I obliged knowing that he would have impeccable taste.

"It is the orchestral version of Yellow by Coldplay" she informs me, "The lyrics go, 'look at the stars, look how they shine for you and everything you do'. We'll Google the rest of the lyrics tonight, they are very sweet. Christian picked well." Coldplay is an unconventional choice for Fifty, but I love it all the same.

Kate and Elliot are next and saunter out together down the aisle. Once they are gone, Mia hands me a massive bouquet of flowers.

"You ready Annie?" Ray asks.

"Yeah" I reply back overwhelmed.

"It's just the rehearsal," he says reassuringly.

"And now the bride," Mia cues.

Ray and I step out into the Grey's vast backyard. I almost tear up when I see all of our hard work and planning be brought to fruition. Pink and silver lanterns rain down over the seating area. The chair covers are pink on my side and silver on Christian's side. Vines of pink flowers cover every inch of the wedding area and they are wrapped beautifully around the wedding arch up front. Our parents are already seated on each side and Reverend Walsh is standing up front with Christian. I cannot believe I have almost gone a whole day without seeing him. Whatever anger he may have had towards me seems to have lifted and his face is beaming as I walk toward him. Mia runs through the Ray to Christian transition and Reverend Walsh runs us through the ceremony. It is short and sweet, just like I wanted.

We transition very smoothly from the rehearsal to the rehearsal dinner. Grace has planned the dinner to be very similar to our engagement party. This time around, the guest list is much smaller making it a more intimate affair. Mia moves Christian and me to the front of the house to greet guests as they arrive. It hits me that I haven't talked to Christian since last night so I decide to test the waters.

"So are you still mad at me after last night?" I whisper to him.

He looks down at me, scrutinizing my expression, "No, I made a trip to Claude Bastille today".

_Thank God._ "Mr. Grey, what a proactive way to deal with your stress"

He chuckles, "I thought so"

"I missed you last night, I wish you had stayed. It is weird to have a night without you"

"Despite the fact that I was angry with you?" he asks.

"I'll take you anyway I can get you" I say echoing his words from our reconciliation.

"That is very good to hear Miss Steele," he says giving me his shy smile.

"How mad is Mia?" I ask after we have greeted another group of guests.

"She is pretty fucking pissed. She doesn't do late"

"You know for not being blood related, you two are insanely alike" I add as we greet more guests.

"As always baby, your skills of observation our unparalleled"

**The dinner is in full swing and the electric buzz in the room is contagious. **Mia moves to the stage and calls everyone's attention. She is in a much brighter mood then she was two hours ago.

"Tonight, we are going to have speeches from the Maid of Honor, Katherine Kavanagh and the Best Man, Elliot Grey" she says as she passes Elliot the microphone. Christian's eyes roll before Elliot even opens his mouth.

"Well, I don't have a big sob story like Kate will probably give all of you, but I just wanted to say – Ana, Welcome to the Family. We are glad to have you, for Christian's first girlfriend you are pretty hot" he continues as the crowd laughs, "But I am happy for you bro. She's a good one, to the bride and groom."

Elliot lifts his glass and the crowd mirrors him. We all take a swig as Elliot hands the microphone to Kate. She has a big scowl on her face as she takes the microphone out of Elliot's hand.

"I promise all of you that my speech will be much better then Elliot's" she says as the crowd laughs, "I was Ana's college roommate for four years and it honestly feels like I have known her my entire life. I have never had a more faithful friend then Ana Steele. We have been there for each other during the ups and downs in life and she is more of a sister to me then a best friend. For four years, I watched her get hit on by legions of men, all of which she was oblivious too. Hey Ana, remember the pizza delivery guy who always used to deliver pizzas to our house? He quit his junior year and bribed Pizza Hut to still let him deliver pizzas just to us so that he could see you"

"Now you tell me!" I yell back at her before I realize the words are leaving my mouth. The crowd laughs at our interaction.

"Sorry, he told me not to!" she laughs and continues, "For reasons I still don't quite understand, Ana Steele was so closed off and unsure of herself or the effect she had on the male species. That all changed when she met Christian Grey. I don't know how you did it Grey, but the person who sits before us all is a changed woman. She is more confident and surer of who she is and what she wants. I can't help but think that change has something to do with you, Grey and I am thankful. I think that's all we can really ask for in life, to live our lives out with another person who is here to make us better people and to keep us safe and secure. So to Christian and my best friend, I wish the best of luck to you both. To the happy couple"

"To the happy couple" the room repeats back as they lift their glasses.

"One last thing, Grey" she says to him, "Since she doesn't have any brothers, I am stepping in to fill that role. If you hurt her, I will hunt you down and kick your ass"

The crowd laughs at Kate' joke, but after last night I highly doubt Katherine Kavanagh is joking.

**As the rehearsal dinner comes to an end, I make a quick trip to the bathroom. **A second later, I feel Christian behind me.

"Check and see if anyone is in the bathroom" he whispers in my ear. I scan the area around us and we are alone. I quickly walk into the bathroom and it is also deserted. I peek back out and pull him in with me. He locks the door and pulls me to him, immediately moving to my neck.

"Baby, I've missed you" he moans as his hands move to my zipper.

"I always used to make fun of those girls who couldn't stay away from their boyfriends for too long, and now I understand," I joke as I move my lips to his, kissing him deeply. As my dress hits the floor, I realize I want to wait. "Stop" I say stepping away.

"What?" he asks in shock.

"Baby let's wait," I say as I pull back on my dress.

"You're kidding?"

"You know how good it will be when we wait for our honeymoon, and you can peel me out of my wedding dress?"

"The dress you're wearing now is white-ish" he adds hopelessly as I turn so he can zip me back up.

He zips my dress up with a wistful sigh, "I should have never introduced you to delayed gratification."

I kiss him chastely, "The next time you will make love to me, I will be Mrs. Christian Grey"

"Hmmm" he murmurs, "I think I kind of like that"

"I do too… Laters baby," I say as I walk out.

When I walk out of the bathroom, Grace sees me and motions to me from Carrick's study. I walk in to Carrick's study and quickly close the door behind me, hoping Christian can escape from the bathroom without Grace noticing. Grace is flipping through a massive leather bound book and seems to be very emotional. I realize as I move to stand next to her that this is Christian's baby book.

"Christian's baby book?" I ask.

She nods her head and smiles, "Actually, more of just a picture collection. I tried to keep pictures of him at every age. With all of this going on, you marrying my baby boy and all, it has just made me very nostalgic." She flips through the pages and I am taken back by how sweet my man was as a little boy. When Grace flips to age 15, her mood changes and her face falls.

"How are you doing since Christian's birthday" I whisper.

She sighs a wistful sigh, "Terrible Ana. I just…. I just…."

"I know" I say as I place my hand on hers.

"I wish I had paid better attention, I wish I had read all of the signs, I wish I hadn't trusted my son with that woman," I place my arm around her back as she sinks into my shoulder. "How could I let that happen?"

"Don't blame yourself for what that woman did to him, Grace" I say trying to think of anything to make her feel any better. My heart hurts for her. I can't imagine how she is feeling after learning about Christian and Elena's affair.

"What do you think of all of this?" she asks me as she takes her head off my shoulder.

"That woman took advantage of a 15 year old kid who was hurting. I think there will be a special hell for someone as depraved as Elena Lincoln" I say as she snorts.

"I sure hope so." She says, "I am really glad you are here. And I am really glad that tomorrow you will officially be my daughter-in-law."

"I am really glad I am too."

**A/N – One more thing, you should go check out the Vitamin String Quartet's version of Yellow by Coldplay…. That is what I had in mind for this chapter. Also, I have been known to call people whores after a nasty hangover…. That is what that joke was inspired by lol. Hope you guys liked it! I am 2 chapters out from being finished!**


	13. Till Kingdom Come

**Real quick…. You might have noticed that I have taken down my other 2 stories. Emailing and sending out extra chapters got out of hand, so I am taking them down until I figure out a better solution! I am so sorry and I hope to repost them soon! I let this all get WAY out of hand and I apologize!**

**Chapter 13 – Till Kingdom Come **

When we get back from the rehearsal dinner, Kate and I decide to get into our pajamas and pop open a bottle of wine. The Real Housewives of New Jersey plays in the background as she pours me a glass and I sulk back into the living room couch. We both sit blankly as we sip our wine, not really thinking too much about anything. It is nice to not have to think and just sit. So much has happened this past month, hell, so much has happened since May. My brain is enjoying its small retreat from reality.

The buzzer knocks me out of my funk and I jump up immediately to answer it.

"Hello?" I ask the speaker.

"Ana, let me in, it's your mother!"

"Mom!" I yell in happy surprise. I let her in and when I open the door a big box is covering her face. I quickly take it from her and place it on our kitchen table.

"I just haven't had time with you so I thought tonight would be a good opportunity," she says as she pulls out the contents of her box. In her box of goodies is more wine, a box of popcorn, animal crackers, boxes of tea, and a pink bedazzled jump suit with "Mrs. Grey" written on the back. Apart from the pink jump suit, this is a typical Carla Adams care package that I have received on many occasions during my college career.

"Thank you so much Mom," I say as I pop a bag of popcorn in the microwave.

"So what are you girls up to?" she asks as Kate spreads out my jumpsuit on the couch, "How are you feeling Ana?"

"Getting cold feet yet?" Kate asks jokingly.

"No" I say, my unconvincing tone shocks me. They both give me suspicious eyes as I immediately jump up to make tea.

"Are you getting cold feet?" my Mom asks very seriously.

Holy hell, I don't know. I feel like I haven't had time to think for an entire month. I look across the table at my Mom and the fact that she has been married four times decides to jump out and hit me in the face. A dark feeling flows through my veins_, what if this isn't it_? What if I inherited my mother's unluckiness with men? I push the feeling aside to answer her.

"No, of course not," I say and I realize my tone isn't any better.

"Honey this is a normal feeling to have the night before your wedding. You guys haven't known each other for very long, I am surprised you didn't feel like this earlier."

_ Holy hell Mom, this is not helping at all. _Kate, my savior, quickly changes the subject and asks about my mom's newest business adventure. To add on to her candles making, perfume making, and medical writing she is getting into the "bedazzling business". Mia even paid her for making my "Mrs. Grey" jumpsuit.

"So," my mom says with a devilish smile, "When should I expect grandkids? Pretty soon right?" I spit out my latest sip of wine all over Kate and my Mom.

"Mother" I groan as I go find a paper towel. Kate gets up to help me and I can tell she is trying not to combust with laughter. I am so glad this disaster of a conversation is amusing her.

"Ok fine, fine, fine. I know that tone of voice. I'll drop it" she says as I move to get the popcorn out of the microwave. I place the bag on the table and we begin to feast. She begins to talk about what a great month of planning she has had. She tells us about her love for Mia and Grace and how close they have gotten from this experience.

"I am really sorry we haven't seen a lot of each other" I add.

"Oh honey, I get it. You don't have to roll out the red carpet and stop your life because I am here. I know you have your job and Christian, I get it. My big girl has her own little life. That is wonderful to see," she says patting me on the hand.

We continue to chat and Kate tells my mother more details about her relationship with Elliot.

"That is just adorable that you both found brothers…. You'll be bonded for life if you end up marrying Elliot" she says as Kate beams.

"I sure hope so" Kate says wistfully.

As we escort her to the door, Mom turns back and grasps my hand.

"I am just so proud of you! You have made such a good life for yourself and found a good man who loves you. I am so glad I didn't screw you up for life when it came to men! And you are marrying into such a great family, Grace and Carrick will be wonderful in laws to have close by. You just have a sweet little life and I am so happy for you sweetie." We hug and she quickly departs. I close the door behind me and lean up against it, staring up at the ceiling.

"Are you ok?" Kate asks after a minute of observing my behavior.

I wish someone would just give me time to think instead of immediately expecting me to have an answer for everything. Right in this moment, I can't get one of my mom's parting sentences out of my head. I will have Grace and Carrick close by. I'll have Grace, who thinks I am Christian's saving grace-no pun intended, and Carrick who thinks I am a gold digger, ready to run off with Christian's money. That is a lot of pressure to have from two people.

Then there is everything else about my mother's visit swimming through my brain. What if I end up like my mother, flitting from marriage to marriage. She is right. I have known Christian since May. When I was on Christmas break this past December, my plan for May was to graduate, not get married three months later. What if we have kids? My mother and my grandmother had unexpected pregnancies, what if the same thing happens to me and Christian doesn't want me anymore. Holy fuck, I am losing it.

I sink to the floor and place my head in my hands, tears building in my eyes. What if this is a mistake? What if I am not supposed to marry Christian? I hadn't even dated anyone else before him, how am I supposed to know if this is right?

Kate sees my panic and sinks to the floor next to me. "Talk to me Steele," she orders, taking my left hand from my face.

"This is too soon Kate."

"Don't let your Mom freak you out like this," she says immediately knowing the culprit behind my panic.

"But Christian and I just met each other. My mother has been married four times! What if that happens to me?" I ramble trying to get her to see my point.

"Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom only knew each other thirty days before they got married and they are making it work… and I don't think divorce is genetic"

"Can you NOT talk to be me about the fucking Kardashians when I am freaking out?" I snap at her as I jump to my feet.

"Ana, calm down! I just think you are having the typical "night before the wedding" freak out. Yes, marriage is fucking scary and yes you are going to have to work on it because life is not a Disney movie no matter how many letters you send to Cinderella as a child asking her how she was able to nab a Prince and where she buys her dresses, there is no magic formula or any guarantees. Life just doesn't magically work out; you have to work for it."

I stare at Kate, trying to absorb what she is telling me.

"I need to see him" I say, the words falling out of my mouth before I realize I am saying them.

She groans, "Well I am driving you. I am not letting you out alone in this state."

**We pull into the parking garage and I bust out of the car. **"I would say take all the time you need, but please don't have sex, remember I am down here patiently waiting for you," Kate warns as I practically sprint to the elevators. The elevator opens and Taylor is waiting for me inside.

"Miss Steele, is everything alright?" Taylor asks worried as I join him.

"I just needed to see him" I say as the elevator takes us to the penthouse. He nods impassively as I step out and walk through to the apartment.

Christian is standing in the middle of the great room, hair messy, face concerned. Either my sudden presence is worrying him or he is just as freaked out as I am. I immediately bolt into his arms and wrap my arms around his back. After a moment, his arms follow suit and circle around me in an embrace.

"Are you ok?" he asks, voice laced with concern. His nose is in my hair, and I feel his lips on the top of my head. I need to start talking before he has a panic attack.

"Yeah, I just needed this." My heart rate is slowing and his beautiful Christian smell is overpowering my senses. This is what I needed. I needed him to calm the chaos that was filling my mind.

"You know, if you are on edge, I have an idea of what can calm you down," he says and his joking tone makes me laugh.

"No sir, I know what I want and I will get what I want."

I know he is smiling, "You sure are a stubborn little thing, aren't you? Here, I have an idea…"

He quickly walks to his bedroom and comes back with brown wool socks in his hand.

"To keep your feet warm for our wedding"

I laugh, "You are clever Grey"

He shakes his head, "I am just trying to keep up with my fiancée." He immediately moves to my flip flops and tosses the right one off my foot. I slump over on him for support as he sticks one of the socks on my waiting right foot. He grabs the flip flop, and awkwardly puts it back on. I laugh as he moves to my other foot and puts the left sock on.

"Why aren't you more freaked out" I ask as he finishes.

"You weren't here an hour ago," he adds, his tone serious.

"Well, how about you grab a pair for yourself then," I add jokingly and he immediately walks back to his bedroom. He comes back out with another pair and I grab them from his hand.

"Sit," I order. He complies as I lean down to put the socks on each of his bare feet. When I finish, I lean over and kiss him on the side of the mouth.

"Keep these on"

"You do the same," he adds.

A thought from the beginning of the engagement process jumps back into my mind. I am transported to the night of his nightmare, after my wedding dress fitting. I grab his face in my hands. "We'll always find a way," I say, eye glued to his.

His shy smile creeps across his face, "We'll always find a way".

**On our way back to the apartment, a feeling of contentment moves through my body. **I realize I need to stay realistic and not let stupid shit dictate my future with Christian. I don't have all the answers right now and that thought is relaxing and terrifying all in one.

As I am about to sleep in my room for the last time, I open up my laptop for a quick check of my email. I smile when I see a new email from Christian.

**To: Anastasia Steele**

**From: Christian Grey**

**Subject: Explanations and Lyrics **

**So I don't think I ever explained to you why I picked "Yellow" by Coldplay as the processional song for our wedding. Elliot's computer broke last week and he wanted to make a CD for Kate (insert eye roll here) so I let him borrow one of my computers to make her CD. Well, I wanted to make sure he didn't download porn on to my computer (it wouldn't be the first time) so I went and checked. He ended up leaving the playlist on the laptop so out of curiosity I scrolled through the songs. Two songs in particular jumped out at me, they both seemed to perfectly represent how I feel about you, both from Coldplay (I am to assume that Kate likes them, he put a lot of their songs on the play list). So I was fighting between the two for the wedding, and Yellow won out because it seemed like a better fit. After your visit tonight, I feel like it is time to send you the lyrics to the other song. **

_**Steal my heart and hold my tongue.  
I feel my time, my time has come.  
Let me in, unlock the door.  
I've never felt this way before.**_

_**Hold my head inside your hands,  
I need someone who understands.  
I need someone, someone who hears,  
For you, I've waited all these years.**_

_**For you, I'd wait 'til kingdom come.  
Until my day, my day is done.  
And say you'll come, and set me free,  
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me.**_

In your tears and in your blood,  
In your fire and in your flood,  
I hear you laugh, I heard you sing,  
"I wouldn't change a single thing."

The wheels just keep on turning,  
The drummers begin to drum,  
I don't know which way I'm going,  
I don't know what I've become.

For you, I'd wait 'til kingdom come,  
Until my days, my days are done.  
Say you'll come and set me free,  
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me.

**I'll see you tomorrow – I'll be the one in the tux.**

**Christian Grey**

**CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, INC. **

Tears billow down my cheeks as I read and re-read the lyrics. I think we can do this, I really think we can.


	14. 3 Days, 9 Hours, and 27 minutes …

**A/N – It is here! Time for the wedding! I am breaking this up into two chapters - and both parts flip between Christian and Ana's POVs so watch for the transitions! Thanks again for the encouragement and comment if you want!**

**Chapter 14 – 3 Days, 9 Hours, and 27 minutes …**

**Ana's POV**

My eyes lids slowly lift and I am greeted by Kate and Mia at the end of my bed.

"What do you want?"

They both squeal with delight. _Is Kate Kavanagh actually squealing?_

"It is your wedding day!" Mia squeals as she jumps up.

"I have died and gone to hell," I murmur as I slowly get up. The squealing is a little much.

"Sorry, Steele isn't really a morning person," Kate says to Mia with a smirk as I get up and walk out of my room.

Fruits, scones, and other exotic types of foods that I don't recognize are spread out through the kitchen. An envelope with "Ana" clearly written on the front sits in the middle of the display. I open the envelope and read.

_ Miss Steele (for 10 more hours), since your apartment never seems to have food, I thought I'd send over breakfast. You'll need it for what I plan to do to you tonight – Christian. PS – You better still be wearing your socks!_

I snap the note shut quickly keeping in mind that his sister is a few feet behind me.

"Is that a secret love note from my brother?" Mia asks mockingly.

"You could say that," I blush as I put the note in the pocket of my pajama pants.

We begin to plow through the lavish breakfast as Mia gives us the rundown about what will be happening today. Kate and Mia begin to pack up the uneaten breakfast as I head back to my room to take a shower.

**Christian's POV**

"Taylor," I say, summoning him before I hit the showers.

"Yes sir," he replies as I hand him a note addressed to Ana.

"I need you to head down to Pike's bistro and order food to be sent to Miss Kavanagh's apartment and make sure this note makes it in the delivery…"

"Any specific food you would like ordered?" he asks, taking the note from me.

"I trust your judgment, just make sure it is plenty so Miss Steele gets the message that she needs to eat," I say even though I hope the note will get that message across.

"Very good sir," Taylor says on his way out. Claude Bastille soon follows behind with his equipment in hand.

"Good job this morning and Congratulations Grey," he says shaking my hand, "I'll see you in three weeks. Maybe I can teach your wife how to kick box?"

I laugh, "I don't think that would be so good for my personal safety."

He laughs and I see him to the elevators. Since Ana has placed a "no sex till the Honeymoon" order coupled with her frustrating behavior at her bachelorette party, I feel like I have seen more of Claude then Ana this week.

I head to the bedroom and begin getting ready to take a shower. I see our rings on my dresser top and pull them open. They are silver, very simple, but classy. I pull the rings out and find "My Christian" inscribed on the inside of my ring and "My Ana" inscribed on the inside of hers, another simple but elegant touch for us to have forever.

I put the rings back in their boxes and jump in the shower. I finish up and change into jeans and a T-Shirt. As I pull the T-Shirt over my head, I smell the scent of the woman who has worn this before me. I sigh and talk to the air, "I miss her."

I see the version of myself who used to inhabit my body shake his head at me. "You are majorly whipped and not in a good way …. And now you are talking to yourself, you're such a fucking tool," he says, scowling at me.

I shake my head back at him and scowl, "Fuck off."

My strange argument with myself is thankfully interrupted by my Blackberry. I hope it is not the office, I told them to stay away unless it was a dire situation. Thankfully, it is just my insane wedding planner.

"You need to be at the house at 3:00 on the dot," Mia instructs as I put my wool socks back on.

"Isn't 3:00 a little too early for a 6:00 wedding?" I grumble at my sister.

"Do not complain, Ana has to get here at noon," she says. I feel instantly bad for my fiancée.

"What are you doing do to her for 6 hours?" I snap, thinking of all the things I would want to do to Ana for 6 hours.

"Girl stuff. You're so lucky that you're a guy," she snaps back at me.

"Ok, just don't scare her off. You sometimes forget how intense you can be, and I'd like to marry her today."

I can hear her smile over the phone, "Don't worry Christian. She will be walking down that aisle. I am on my way to see her as we speak, would you like me to send a message to her?"

Millions of messages that I could possibly send to Anastasia roll through my head, but none are appropriate enough to send via Mia.

"Just make sure she eats. Taylor is having breakfast delivered from Pike's Bistro."

"Oh, I love that place! Will do! See ya later bro," she says in her usual peppy tone.

"Goodbye Mia. Remember, I want her walking down that aisle this evening, not running away from it!"

**Ana's POV**

Once I am out of the shower, I pull my hair up in a sloppy bun and throw on my "Mrs. Grey" jump suit. Mia has informed me that I will be worked on all afternoon at the Grey's house so I don't have to do anything myself. I step out into the living room and Kate and Mia are in matching jumpsuits. Kate's jumpsuit says "Bridesmaid" and Mia's jumpsuit says "Wedding Planner". I shake my head and try not to laugh at how bizarre all three of us look.

We head to the SUV and Sawyer loads my suitcase in the back. Kate turns to me while we wait for Mia to finish her phone call, "Once you guys are gone on your honeymoon, Mia, Ethan, and I are going to pack up the rest of your stuff and have it delivered to Escala."

I sigh, "Bye, Bye Bachelorette pad."

She laughs, "You never spent any time over here anyway."

"A girl never forgets the place where she was held up at gun point and her boyfriend ate ice cream off her," I whisper making sure no one else can hear.

She laughs, "You will make new memories. Hopefully none of them will involve you being held up at gun point."

"Here, here."

"Come on you two," Mia yells from the front seat, "We have a schedule to keep."

**Christian's POV**

The last minute details of the honeymoon are finished and we are prepared to hit the air soon after she says, "I do". The thought of having Anastasia all to myself for three weeks is making me impatient and extremely horny. I have had to share her with other people from the moment I asked her to marry me and I am thrilled to finally have her all to myself.

I have Taylor load my suitcase for the Honeymoon and I decide to get some work done. It is 2:00 and I have another hour before I need to be at my parent's house. It has been 3 days, 9 hours, and 27 minutes since I have last made love to Anastasia and I need something to distract me. Having us wait till tonight after all this time will be especially hot and arousing, but the anticipation is killing me. I have taught her too well.

Taylor suddenly appears at the door. "Mr. Grey, your father is here to see you."

I growl, _what the fuck does he want?_ "Send him in," I snap.

Dad walks in and immediately stops at the door. After a moment, he finally decides it is safe to enter and takes a seat at my desk.

"How can I help you," I ask sarcastically.

"Ok son, I know you aren't thrilled with me, but I just wanted to come over here and say that I am going to back off when it comes to the prenup."

"Thank fucking God," I growl at him.

"Just know I am trying to look out for your best interest. Your mother and I have always trusted you, but after hearing about what happened with Elena, it was a wakeup call that maybe we haven't done such a good job protecting you and we were worried about your judgment when it comes to women. Especially since this relationship with Ana has happened so quickly, we just wanted to make sure you were protecting yourself," he says trying to justify his actions.

I run my hand through my hair and try to pull myself together. I get what he is saying on some levels, but I am still fucking pissed at him.

"I told you to drop it and you just wouldn't," I snap at him, too angry to think of anything better to say.

"I get that, and that is why I am stopping. Our background checks of Ana are clear but just watch out son, if she leaves again…."

_Oh that is it,_ "You don't know a mother fucking thing about my relationship with Ana. You don't know her at all, because if you knew her, we wouldn't be having this stupid fucking discussion. And quit acting like you fucking know everything after your shit background checks. Obviously I ran my own checks on her, I am not a shithead. And they were probably a lot fucking better than yours."

"Ok, ok," my Dad says trying to calm me down, "You're right. I don't know what happened, you obviously know better than me, this is your relationship. I am sorry."

"You can see yourself out," I grumble, moving all my attention back to my computer screen.

"Ok, I will. See you soon Son," he says as he finally exists my study.

_ 3 days, 9 hours, 31 minutes, and 15 seconds…_

_ 3 days, 9 hours, 31 minutes, and 16 seconds…_

_ 3 days, 9 hours, 31 minutes, and 17 seconds…_


	15. I love you forever

**A/N – Hey everyone, this is my final chapter! EL James takes it from here! Lol. Thanks for reading and commenting! I appreciate all of you! I continue to change between Ana and Christian's POVs (like the last chapter) so watch out for the transitions!**

**Chapter 15 - I love you forever**

**Ana's POV**

I have not moved from this chair all day. Franco was here right at noon to begin work on my hair. After my hair, two very nice nail artists came and attended to my feet and hands. Last, a team of makeup artists, whose credits include working at the White House, came and worked on my very pale face. Between the poking and the prodding, Mia has been trying to feed me and not mess up the work that has been done to me. After a full day of primping, I feel like a lab experiment. I am relieved when I hear a ding on my Blackberry.

**To: Anastasia Steele**

**From: Christian Grey**

**Subject: Stress?**

**Miss Steele, **

**If I know you as well as I think I know you, your morning of preparations is finding you annoyed and agitated. Lucky for you, you have a fiancé who is very educated on how to bang out stress. **

**Just a thought,**

**Christian**

_That bastard_, he knows I am not the kind of person that enjoys this type of beautification and is trying to prey on me while I am weak. A plan springs to mind and I feel a mischievous smile over take my made up face. _Two can play at this game, Grey._

I walk quickly to my suitcase and pull out the panties that I planned on wearing tonight with my bustier. I dart to the bathroom and change into the fresh pair. After Christian's email, I am really freaking wet so this will be the perfect pair of panties to send to my equally sexually frustrated future husband. I drop the panties in a brown paper sack, attach a small note to the front, and search for Kate.

She miraculously appears and I hand her the bag.

"Can you deliver this to Christian for me?"

**Christian's POV**

Eight minutes after I hit "send" on my Blackberry, Kate walks in with a brown paper bag. She stops at Elliot and they smile provocatively at each other. I know what those smiles mean. They have had sex in this house. I fucking hate them.

"What do you want Kate?" I snap.

"Ana wanted me to deliver this bag," she says thrusting it at me.

"Did she say what it was?" I ask suspiciously.

"Nope," she says as she turns back around to leave, exchanging another sexual look with my brother as she goes

The note on the front says to open the bag in private so I move to the bathroom and lock the door behind me. I reach into the bag and pull out a pair of Ana's panties. I like this pair of panties. They are made of silk and feel really good. I move her thong to my nose and it smells of her. _Is she trying to kill me_? Suddenly, I hear my Blackberry ding in the other room. I quickly put her panties back in the bag and walk out of the bathroom.

"What was in the bag?" Elliot pries as I place the demon bag in my suitcase and grab my phone.

"Nothing Elliot," I snap as I open my email.

**To: Christian Grey**

**From: Anastasia Steele**

**Subject: No banging till later**

**Mr. Grey, **

**While I appreciate the offer, the package I had delivered via Kate was to make my message VERY clear that there will be no banging of any kind till ****this evening****. **

**Stop trying to seduce me with your sexpertise or I will send you another pair of my underwear. **

**With love, **

**Your future wife**

Is she actually threatening me with her underwear? I smile fondly at the email. She drives me insane and very soon she will be all mine.

**Ana's POV**

My inner goddess is beaming after my panty stunt. I haven't received any other emails or messages from Christian so I am assuming I have shocked him into submission.

The photographer buzzes around the room as Kate, Mrs. Kavanagh, and my mother help me into my wedding dress. I look at myself in the mirror across the room and I am happy to see that the dress still looks as good as it did the first time I wore it. Once I am dressed, we quickly move to a different location on the Grey's property and I take a round of pictures with my Mom, Ray, and Kate. After we are done outside, the photographer moves us to Christian's changing area.

"Ana, we are going to do this picture with you on one side of the door and Christian on the other side of the door. You won't see each other but you will lock hands," the photographer instructs as her assistant moves me to where she wants me.

My back is glued to the front of the door while the photographer's assistant slowly opens it. The assistant joins our hands and I feel the electric pulse between Christian and me once again.

"Christian, no peeking," Mia scolds as she observes our photography experiment. I hear him groan at his sister and it makes me giggle.

"I've missed that sound," he says to me through the door.

"What are you two doing talking to each other?" Mia admonishes, "And Ana, no peeking either!"

"Geez, lighten up Mia," I say as Christian laughs.

The photographer finally finishes her round of pictures. "These look good, we can separate you two now," she says and I refuse to let go. Christian squeezes my hand and I want to bust into the other room and jump on him.

"Let go Ana," Mia says as she grabs my other arm.

"Just give me a second," I fight her.

Christian very smoothly lifts my hand to his lips and gives me a light kiss on my knuckles. The electricity pulses through my veins and I have to remind myself that I will eventually need to peel my hand from his.

"Let go Christian."

"You first."

"Your sister is going to have a heart attack."

He kisses my knuckles again and lets my hand go. "Laters baby," he says as he closes the door behind him. I am impressed we did all of that without even peeking at each other.

"You are going to be the death of me," Mia sighs as she pulls me away from the closed door.

**Christian's POV**

Pre-wedding pictures are finished and the clock in my dressing room reads 5:30. I need to give Ana one of her wedding presents before the wedding starts. I pull out a large square Tiffany's box from my suitcase and hand it to Elliot.

"Tiffany's bro?" Elliot says mockingly, "You shouldn't have."

"I need you to deliver this to Ana for me, you dumbass."

He takes the box and dutifully walks it over to Ana's dressing area. Once he is gone, Kate appears again, this time with a small grey box in her hand.

"From Ana," she says as she hands the box to me. I open the small box and find cufflinks with black stones and the letters "A" and "C" intertwined and inscribed in gold. They are perfect, just like her. When I look back up, Elliot has returned.

"Those are nice, she did a good job," he says as I put them on.

"Did you see her open my gift?"

"Nah, but all the girls "ooed" and "awed" when they saw the box. The power of Tiffany's."

**Ana's POV**

After I sent Kate to Christian with my gift for him, Elliot suddenly shows up at the door to my dressing room. He has one hand over his eyes and a blue box sits in the other hand.

"Is everyone dressed," he asks jokingly and I laugh.

"Yes Elliot, come in," Mia groans as he takes his hand off his eyes.

"A gift from the groom," he says as he hands me the box. My mother, Grace, and Mia all swarm around me as I open my gift from Christian.

All four of us gasp as I open the box. In the box are two beautiful diamond hair combs. A large diamond lies in the middle and smaller diamonds circle several times around the outside. They are breath taking and must have cost Christian a fortune.

"Oh Ana," Mom beams, "They are beautiful and will work perfectly with you dress."

Mia gently pulls them from the box and positions them in my hair. "Without giving your dress away," Mia says with a smirk, "I helped Christian pick them out."

Kate marches in a second later and gasps when she sees the combs in my hair. "They are perfect. Also, since you already have the garter that is "old, borrowed, and blue" this can be your something new," she points out.

I sigh as I gaze at the combs in my hair. They are perfect.

"It's good you found a man who can pick out jewelry," Mom jokes, "That is the most important quality for any husband to have."

**Christian's POV**

"It is show time," Mia says as she peeks her head in the dressing room, "The ceremony is about to start so I need you to get in position. Elliot, you need to find Kate."

Suddenly, my nerves are on overload and I take in a deep breath to stay calm. "You got this," Elliot says reassuringly as he smacks me on the back, "She's a good girl and she makes you less of a jackass."

I laugh. That will be the best compliment I will ever receive from my older brother.

"Thanks," I say as Dad walks in. Elliot leaves and I am left alone with Carrick. Dad walks over and straightens my tie.

"I am happy for you son," he says with a smile that seems genuine.

"Thank you."

Without another word, Dad and I head out to the back lawn. I shake Reverend Walsh's hand when we make it to the front of the aisle.

"Are you ready Mr. Grey?" he asks.

"As ready as I can be," I say as I look out to our guests.

My appearance has signaled the crowd to settle down and find their seats. I notice that Ethan Kavanagh and Jose Rodriguez are sitting together on Ana's side. I scowl in their direction, slightly annoyed that they are here. At least they'll have each other's company when they eye fuck my wife.

**Ana's POV**

As we line up for the processional, Kate gasps. "We forgot the garter."

She unlinks her arm from Elliot and races back to the dressing room. I notice that Elliot no longer seems angry with her and they are back to their usual and very inappropriate PDA. When Kate returns she immediately dives under my dress. This is awkward with Ray standing next to me. Once I feel the garter securely placed on my upper thigh, she jumps back up and smiles.

"I am the last person to fondle you as a single woman," she says triumphantly but her expression changes when she turns to Ray, "….. Sorry Ray." He shakes his head and stares off in the distance.

The music begins and the flower girl marches out into the crowd. _Holy shit, this is it_. I will very soon be Mrs. Christian Grey. I begin to shake, and Ray instantly feels my anxiety. He places his hand on top of mine and smiles. "You'll be ok Annie."

Those words coming from him instantly calm me. Kate gives me a big smile as Mia instructs Kate and Elliot to move.

"Daddy?" I turn to Ray, "Can you do me a favor?"

"Anything," he says with a reverential smile.

"Just make sure I don't fall."

He smiles as tears prick at his eyes, "Of course."

**Christian's POV**

As Kate and Elliot take their places, I am hit with another dose of nerves. They run through my body like a freight train and leave me momentarily paralyzed. I never expected that the day Anastasia Steele fell into my office would eventually lead to this moment.

The music changes and the crowd stands. My breathing and my heart rate speed up at the same time. First I see Ray holding on to a lacy arm. When I finally see her, all of her, my heart jumps into my stomach. The diamond combs I bought her glisten in the sunlight, but are only small blips compared to her beautiful blue eyes.

This beautiful woman is mine, forever. The thought overwhelms me and I feel tears prick in the corner of my eyes. She finally makes it to me and we smile at each other like two goofy kids in love. Reverend Walsh asks Ray something, I am not sure what he asks him. I can't concentrate when those blue eyes are staring at me. Suddenly, her hands are in mine and Reverend Walsh begins the ceremony.

She smiles and squeezes my hand. She mouths "I love you" as Walsh continues to drone. I smile back at her and continue to ignore the minister. I squeeze her hand and mouth back, "I love you forever."


End file.
